Romania will be the 43rd country to become a member of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The new designation made by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in conjunction with Secretary of State Antony Blinken will go into effect on or around March 31, 2025.
The VWP allows citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online application and mobile app will be updated to include Romania.
Individuals must apply online through ESTA before coming to the United States on the VWP.
According to the secretaries, Romania met the stringent security requirements for this designation through a whole-of-government effort:
- It had a visa refusal rate of under 3 percent in the last fiscal year;
- It issues secure travel documents;
- It extends reciprocal travel privileges to all U.S. citizens and nationals without regard to national origin, religion, ethnicity, or gender; and
- It agreed to work closely with U.S. law enforcement and counterterrorism authorities.
U.S. citizens already are eligible to travel to Romania visa-free and are eligible to remain for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes if they have a passport valid for at least three months from the date of arrival.
Romania is the fourth country to be added to the VWP by Secretary Mayorkas. It follows Croatia (2021), Israel (2023), and Qatar (2024).
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