Ambassador to US “very optimistic” about Romania’s entry into Visa Waiver Program next year

The Romanian ambassador to the USA, Andrei Muraru, recently said during an interview that he is very optimistic regarding Romania's entry into the Visa Waiver Program next year.

Muraru noted the decreasing refusal rate for visa applications.

"In 2021 we had over 17% while in 2022 we had 12.61%, that high figure from 2021 was due to extraordinary pandemic conditions when we had more than three times fewer visa applications, and the number remained constant but compared to the total number of applications. It is not a cyclical decrease, it comes as a result of efforts on both sides of the Atlantic, in Bucharest and Washington,” he said, according to Digi24.

Asked if next year Romanians may enter the US without visas, the ambassador said: "I am very optimistic that this will happen. Of course, 8.79% seems high compared to the program's requirement of having a refusal rate under 3%, but there are many other examples in the history of the Visa Waiver Program, where countries with much higher figures than Romania, managed to enter the program the following year.”

The ambassador noted that other airlines would announce direct flights to the USA, after HiSky’s recent announcement about direct Bucharest - New York flights. He believes that the lifting of visas next year will contribute to building more bridges for professional, institutional, tourism, and business exchanges between Romania and the US.

Andrei Muraru also stated that Poland, which entered the Visa Waiver in 2019 and has a much larger diaspora, with 9.5 million Poles in the USA, did not benefit from such a large wave of arrivals after entering the program.

"Even if Romania enters the Visa Waiver, you can't immediately board a plane, you need to complete an online form [...]. The USA continues to maintain a simplified procedure to protect the US territory from potential entries of people who have legal issues or are prohibited from traveling," added Andrei Muraru.

The Romanian ambassador to the US also stated that he does not see an impediment regarding the visa program even if Donald Trump returns to the White House.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Sabin Cirstoveanu)