Romania's inclusion in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program will be celebrated on Friday in Washington D.C and Bucharest, informs Agerpres.
The event in Washington D.C will take place at the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the presence of the US Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, and Romania's Ambassador to the US, Andrei Muraru. During the ceremony, the representative of the US government will officially inform the representative of the Romanian state about the decision of the US authorities to admit Romania to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), communicating at the same time the technical details and the effective activation date of the new travel regime for Romanian citizens.
An official event will also take place in Bucharest to mark the decision of the US authorities regarding Romania's inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program. It will take place at the Victoria Palace of Government, starting at 15.00, and will be attended by the President of the Senate, Ilie Bolojan, and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
Following the decision of the US Federal Government, Romania becomes the 43rd participant in the US Visa Waiver Program.
The US Department of State confirmed on November 27, 2024 that Romania recorded a visa refusal rate of 2.61% in the fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2024), thus fulfilling one of the main requirements to be included in the Visa Waiver Program.
In addition to the refusal rate criterion, Romania's access to the Visa Waiver Program required the fulfillment of essential requirements related to the security of travel documents, the exchange of information, the implementation of concrete measures to combat terrorism and illegal migration.