Romania, excluded from the Visa Waiver program

Washington announced the recission of Romania’s designation in the Visa Waiver program, a decision meant to protect its integrity and ensure the security of American borders

Sorin Iordan, 05.05.2025, 13:50

Romanians’ dreams of traveling to the United States of America without a visa remain, for now, far from becoming a reality. Earlier this year the Department of Homeland Security in Washington announced the inclusion of our country in the Visa Waiver program and the de facto elimination of the need to obtain visas to travel to the USA for short-term stays. At the end of last week, however, the American administration changed its mind. Homeland Security announced it had decided to revoke Romania from the program, in order to protect its integrity and ensure border security. In the press release, Washington points the finger at the former Democratic administration, led by Joe Biden, which it says ignored the security problems that eliminating visas for Romanians would create, without specifying, however, what these are. The Department of Homeland Security recalls that, on March 25, it suspended the implementation of the Visa Waiver to assess the situation in Romania, given that Romanians were supposed to travel freely to the USA starting March 31. Homeland Security, however, emphasizes that Romania will be reconsidered for re-inclusion in the Visa Waiver program in the future, if it meets eligibility criteria.

In Bucharest, the announcement was met with bitter disappointment. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its regret upon learning about the decision, which, the Ministry writes, comes in the context where American authorities have made border protection and combating illegal immigration an absolute priority, in both political and technical terms. The Romanian Foreign Ministry emphasized that Romania has fulfilled all the elements stipulated by American law for accession to the Visa Waiver program and that Washington’s decision is strictly political and reflects the priorities of the new Trump administration. The Ministry also states that Romania and the United States remain partners determined to strengthen cooperation in all areas, and the Government in Bucharest along with all the relevant Romanian institutions and authorities will continue to take diplomatic and technical steps to ensure accession to the Visa Waiver program. The Romanian Government also conveyed that it is essential that Romania’s American partners convey all the technical details that motivated their decision, so that Romanian authorities can prepare detailed answers on each topic and Romanians enjoy the same treatment as citizens of other US allied states that benefit from visa-free travel to American territory. At the same time, the Romanian Government argues that the post-election period “may represent the most important moment for our country to call on its American partner to resume proceedings for Romania’s acceptance in the Visa Waiver Program”. (VP)