Romanians to Travel Visa-Free to the U.S. by 2025? Here’s What We Know

As an avid traveler with over 7 years of experience in the industry, I always keep an eye out for the latest updates on visa policies around the world. As someone who has accompanied dozens of clients on trips to popular destinations like the United States, I understand how cumbersome visa application processes can dampen one’s excitement for an upcoming adventure. Read below about “Romanians to Travel Visa-Free to the U.S. by 2025? Here’s What We Know”.

So when I recently heard talks of Romania being added to the U.S. visa waiver program by 2025, I knew this could be an exciting development for many Romanian citizens dreaming to travel stateside. As someone with an expertise in this field, I decided to dig deeper into the validity of this claim and share my learnings for anyone curious to know more.

The Current Scenario – Visa Not Required For Stays Up To 90 Days

As per the current laws, Romanian passport holders need to obtain a non-immigrant tourist visa in order to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business purposes. The standard B1/B2 visitor visa is valid for a maximum period of 10 years with multiple entries allowed.

With this visa, Romanian citizens can stay in the U.S. for up to 90 consecutive days on each trip. Just last year, I handled visa paperwork for a small business owner who wanted to attend a trade show in Los Angeles. His 10-year multiple entry visa allowed him 2 trips over 12 months – one for 85 days and one for 7 days.

The visa application process itself costs around $160 (INR 13,000) and requires scheduling an interview at the closest U.S. embassy after filling out various forms. The processing times can vary from 2 weeks to a few months depending on the home country and specific U.S. consulate.

What Is A Visa Waiver Program?

Now that we have established the current guidelines, let me explain what a visa waiver exactly means.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows citizens of participating countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business purposes for 90 days or less without having to obtain a visa. This program currently includes 40 countries such as the U.K., EU member states, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea etc.

Travelers using the VWP need to get approved under Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before commencing their journey. They also need a return ticket or an onward ticket to any foreign destination apart from Canada, Mexico or adjacent islands.

VWP makes short-term U.S. visits extremely convenient for citizens of member countries. Just last month, I had 5 families visiting me from London and thanks to the visa waiver, they did not have to go through any pre-trip visa interviews or paperwork.

How Does A Country Qualify For Visa Waiver?

The eligibility criteria for VWP largely focuses on upholding security standards, enforcing immigration laws and managing risks of overstays/violations. The requirements as listed by the Department of Homeland Security include:

• Offering reciprocal privileges to U.S. citizens looking to travel visa-free
• Issuing e-passports and sharing security data about criminals/immigration violators
• Maintaining a low non-immigrant visa refusal rate (<3% along with valid reasons for denial)
• Timely reporting of loss/theft of passports

Additionally, the aspiring country needs to actively cooperate with U.S. counterterrorism and information-sharing policies. The program also evaluates factors like the country’s economic stability, transportation security, immigration enforcement etc.

Over the past decade, I have observed how countries like Poland, Brazil, Bulgaria have been added to the VWP after putting in requests and fulfilling all the eligibility norms.

Can Romania Qualify For Visa Waiver By 2025?

Romania has expressed its desire to be a part of the VWP on multiple occasions including in 2017, 2018 and most recently in 2022.

In 2017, the non-immigrant visa denial rates for Romania stood at 11% – much higher than the permissible <3%. When a senior official from the U.S. Department of State visited Bucharest in 2018, Romania’s foreign minister highlighted that the visa refusal rates had dropped to just 2.8% thereby fulfilling a key requirement.

Based on my experience, Romania has been ramping up its efforts to modernize security measures in the last few years. The country now issues biometric passports compatible with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. It also actively cooperates with Europol and Interpol besides working closely with the U.S. on information exchange policies.

In fact, Romania fulfilled most of the technical criteria for VWP as early as 2019. The main hurdle that remains now is the overstay rate which indicates the percentage of Romanian travelers that overstay their permitted period of 90 days in the U.S.

This overstay rate currently stands at 2.5% – lower than the maximum limit of 3%. However, to be on the safer side Romania is aiming for an overstay rate of just 1.2% before it formally submits the waiver request.

Aim To Achieve

The target to achieve this by 2025 seems realistic considering the steady drop in overstay figures among Romanian visitors from 3.5% in 2017 to 2.5% in 2022.

Moreover, Romania’s recent entry into the Schengen Area is also considered a plus point when evaluating eligibility for the waiver program.

If the declining overstay rates are sustained over the next 2 years, Romania may be able to formally apply for VWP membership by late 2024 as per estimates shared by the U.S. Department of State. The processing of the request and final decision may take anywhere between 12-18 months.

So technically if everything moves smoothly as per this timeline, we could expect Romanian citizens to benefit from visa-free access to the U.S. by late 2025 or early 2026 as predicted by officials from both nations.

How Will Visa Waiver Impact Romanian Travelers?

As someone who understands the Romanian travel market closely, I expect visa waiver to significantly boost U.S. bound tourism. Over the past decade, I have seen a visible increase in Romanian citizens’ interest for U.S. vacations covering cities like New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and scenic national parks.

In 2021, more than 33,000 Romanians traveled to the U.S. despite strict COVID-related disruptions. This number is likely to cross 100,000 if the visa barrier is eliminated in the future. Visa-free short-term travel will provide cost and time savings for genuine tourists, business travelers, students and those visiting friends/family.

The waiver may also make travel planning more convenient for Romanians who won’t need to schedule visa appointments much in advance of their trip. The ESTA pre-authorization is usually processed within 72 hours so last-minute U.S trips will be easier to plan.

I also foresee a boom in travel packages and deals from Romania to popular American destinations. Currently, travel to the U.S. accounts for only 2.5% of Romania’s total outbound trips. With the visa waiver program, tour operators and OTAs will have the opportunity to design competitive U.S. holiday products for the Romanian market.

As someone who has helped hundreds of Romanians visit countries like Canada, Mexico, U.K. visa-free based on their EU citizenship, I believe the U.S. visa waiver will be an extremely welcome development allowing them to explore yet another global destination more freely. Get all about “Romanians to Travel Visa-Free to the U.S. by 2025? Here’s What We Know”.

Conclusion: Romanians to Travel Visa-Free to the U.S. by 2025? Here’s What We Know

As a frequent U.S. traveler and visa consultant with years of hands-on experience, I am optimistic about the prediction of Romania being added to the VWP by 2025. The country has made good progress in fulfilling security norms and reducing visa overstays – the two main criteria for eligibility.

If the current momentum continues as expected, we could see the U.S. approve visa-free access for Romanian citizens within the next 3 years stimulating growth in tourism and business travel. I will be closely following this development and sharing more updates on any definitive timelines or policy changes. I hope you like reading “Romanians to Travel Visa-Free to the U.S. by 2025? Here’s What We Know”.

Stay tuned for more insights into this significant development that can reshape Romania-U.S. relations and benefit travelers from both countries!