Romania now meets all technical requirements for the Visa Waiver Program, Romanian Embassy in Washington announces / „The last Condition has been met” / How the state mobilized employees to lower the rejection rate

Romania’s Ambassador to the United States, Andrei Muraru, announced on Tuesday that as of October 1st, Romania meets all the technical conditions to join the Visa Waiver Program.

„Today is a big day, a day we’ve waited for a long, long time: from today, Romania formally meets all the technical conditions to be part of the Visa Waiver Program.

Yesterday marked the end of the fiscal year in the United States, and the last remaining condition for Romania to fulfill has been satisfied. Of course, we are waiting for confirmation from our American partners in the coming period, but based on the number of visa applications this year and the strong downward trend in recent years, our assessment is that Romania has reduced its rejection rate to below 3%.

The first Romanians will likely be able to travel to the United States without visas in the first part of next year,” announced Muraru.

The reduction in the rejection rate was achieved partly due to measures taken by the government, which decided to reimburse the $185 visa fee paid by central public administration employees who renew their U.S. visas at the U.S. Embassy by September 30, 2024.

This measure was introduced in February of this year as part of a broader plan by which Romania aimed to reduce the visa rejection rate below 3%, enabling U.S. authorities to allow Romanian citizens to enter the U.S. without a visa.

Most recently, the rejection rate was close to 9%.

At the end of August, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated, „I am convinced that by mobilizing as many Romanians as possible in this campaign, we will be able to travel to the United States visa-free starting next year.”

In February 2024, in the context of establishing a Committee for Romania’s Entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program in 2023 and a plan to achieve this goal, the government adopted Government Decision No. 77. This decision introduced the possibility for employers to reimburse the visa fee ($185) for central public administration employees, especially those working in defense, public order, national security, justice, and foreign affairs.

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In an attempt to reduce the U.S. visa rejection rate to 3%, the government decided to reimburse the $185 visa fee paid by public sector employees working in defense, public order, national security, justice, and foreign affairs.

It is worth noting that the government decision specifies that applicants are not required to provide an invitation or carry out a mission in the U.S. with these visas. The reimbursement will occur even if the visa application is denied. Reimbursement will be granted to those who follow the legal visa application procedure, including attending the interview when necessary.

A G4Media.ro source stated that shortly after this government decision was adopted, in key institutions of central administration, managers sent circulars to their subordinates, urging them to submit such applications, and assigned staff to compile lists of those committed to starting this process.