Romanians will not be permitted to travel visa-free to the US as of 2025, as it was initially expected, the authorities have confirmed.
The announcement was made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which, in coordination with the State Department, has decided to revoke Romania’s designation under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), Schengen.News reports.
Maintaining the Visa Waiver Program’s high standards is essential to our national security. In light of this Administration’s focus on border and immigration security, the Secretary of Homeland Security has decided, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to rescind Romania’s VWP designation effective immediately.
McLaughlin pointed out that Romania may be eligible to enter the Visa Waiver Programme in the future, as Trump’s government tightens requirements for countries that qualify to enter this programme.
DHS Decides Against Romania Entering VWP in Efforts to Protect Its Borders
In the announcement, DHS has noted that the decision for Romania’s designation has been taken to protect the US borders.
Romania’s designation should be rescinded in order to protect the integrity of the VWP and to ensure border and immigration security.
After meeting certain conditions set by the US government, Romania was eligible to enter the Visa Waiver Programme by the beginning of 2025.
The achievement of bringing US visa rejection rates of Romanians to less than three per cent concluded this EU country’s efforts to gain visa-free entry to the United States. In 2024, less than three per cent of applications filed by Romanian applicants for US visas received negative decisions.
Trump Administration Invalidates Biden’s Romania Visa Waiver Decision
Biden’s administration gave the green light to Romania, and as of January 2025, Romanians were supposed to start visiting the US without a visa.
However, Trump’s administration paused Romania’s entry to the US Visa Waiver Programme, invalidating the decision.
In regard to this pause, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had said that it was a “technical issue”.
We will take advantage of this — hopefully short-lasting — delay to work with our American partners to clarify all issues of concern to the US government.
In general, the US government has tightened travel rules for some nationalities, also announcing plans for colour-coded lists, with nationalities on the red list being forbidden from travelling to the US.
Following these changes, US embassies in 17 EU countries have advised travellers of possible deportation if they fail to abide by the rules of the US government.