Romanians still need visas for the US
The Visa Waiver Program for Romanians is postponed.
Bogdan Matei, 26.03.2025, 14:00
The US has suspended the visa waiver program for Romanians, which, according to a decision by the former Democratic administration of Joe Biden, was to take effect at the end of this month. A statement from the Department of Homeland Security, issued on Tuesday and quoted by Radio Romania’s Washington correspondent, announces that Romania’s inclusion will be revised until the strict security requirements set out in the program are met. During the reviewing process, the US is suspending the application of the electronic travel authorization system for Romanian citizens. Thus, Romanian citizens wishing to travel to the United States must apply, as before, for a “B” non-immigrant visa at the United States embassy or consulate.
The Department of Homeland Security statement also explains that participation in the Visa Waiver program requires beneficiary states to intensify their cooperation with the United States in combating terrorism and illegal migration. Meanwhile, nine European countries, including France, Germany, Norway, Slovakia and Slovenia, have updated their travel advice to the United States for their citizens under the Republican administration of Donald Trump, warning about the strict application of entry policies and the risk of detention at the border. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has already modified, on its website, the conditions for travel to the United States, to reflect Washington’s decision. The Romanian diplomacy warns Romanians who have scheduled trips in the coming period, including after March 31, to contact the American embassies in the countries where they reside, with a view to obtaining entry visas. The ministry also states that the authorities in Bucharest remain in close coordination with the American ones, to ensure that the Visa Waiver program will be implemented as soon as possible.
The social-democratic prime minister heading the coalition government (PSD-PNL-UDMR), Marcel Ciolacu, says he is convinced that the review of Romania’s inclusion in the program is a strictly technical measure and, in turn, hopes that it will be short-lived. The nationalist opposition Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR)) accuses the government of incompetence and considers the Americans’ decision as a shameful failure of the Ciolacu government. Also in opposition, Save Romania Union (USR) suggests changing the Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu. From the governing coalition, the leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), Kelemen Hunor, notes that in the United States, with Trump’s taking office at the White House, there is a radical change of approach in the migration policy, which does not only targets Romania’s entry into the Visa Waiver program. The idea is also shared by the Romanian press, which states however that, for the Trump team, there are no credible interlocutors among the political decision-makers in Bucharest. (LS)
