Marcel Ciolacu, the prime minister of Romania, has told Romanians that they would be allowed to visit the US without a visa by 2025 for both business and tourism. He stated with certainty that Romania will enter the Schengen Area by land before the end of 2024 in an interview on the Sinteza Zilei TV program. Furthermore, Ciolacu declared Romania’s intention to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2026, emphasizing that this project is crucial among the three.

During a visit to the US in late December 2023, the Prime Minister restated his earlier claims, saying that the visa-free arrangement would be formalized that same year. The Romanian ambassador to the US, Andrei Muraru, had previously stated in September 2023 that Romanians might be able to visit the US without a visa by 2025, albeit he had issued a warning that this might be the earliest date that might be achieved.

Despite what Ambassador Muraru had claimed previously, no formal statement about these developments was released in February. Remarkably, Romania is still one of the three EU nations whose nationals need a visa in order to travel to the US for business or pleasure. The other two are Bulgaria and Cyprus.

Due to its failure to achieve the “below 3% visa denial rate” requirement, Romania will not be able to participate in the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP). For qualifying, the percentage of rejected visa applications must be fewer than three percent. 

3,648 Romanians obtained B1/B2 visas in total in January 2024, according to data from the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs. These visas allow travelers or business travelers to enter the US. Moreover, 508 Cypriots and 1,284 Bulgarians were among those who obtained comparable visas at that time.

Israel recently became the newest member of the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Previously, on October 23, 2021, Croatia joined the program.