US postpones visa-free travel for Romanians

Shortly before the change of government in the USA, Washington had promised Bucharest the long-awaited visa-free entry for Romanians. Now, the Homeland Security Department announced that the decision would not enter into force as planned at the end of March, but would be postponed indefinitely. One wanted to re-examine the country's compliance with the security standards for the Visa Waiter programme.

US Delays Visa-Free Travel for Romanians Amid Ongoing Election Controversies

In December 2024 the Constitutional Court of Romania invalidated the first round of the country’s presidential elections, some 48 hours before voting commenced for the second round. The election was cancelled due to alleged Russian meddling in the campaign. While the presidential election was annulled in Romania, the parliamentary election, which happened shortly after the presidential one, was not. Independent candidate Călin Georgescu won the …

U.S. Rescinds Visa Waiver Program For Romanians

In light of the anti-American attitudes of many in the Romanian political elite, and their destruction of democratic institutions evidenced by their refusal to allow leading presidential candidate and pro-democracy advocate Călin Georgescu from the ballot in the upcoming presidential election, the U.S. State Department has suspended implementation of the visa waiver program for Romanian citizens that was set to go into effect at the beginning of…

Independent presidential candidate Victor Ponta has said that if he wins the election and becomes the president of Romania, he will take direct steps to include the country in the United States Visa Waiver Program. His statements come in the context of the official announcement by the American authorities regarding the temporary suspension of the visa waiver process for Romanian citizens. The article Victor Ponta promises to personally deal with…

US postpones visa-free travel for Romanians

Romania, one of the last EU members not included in the Visa Waiver Program, had been due to join in March.

“It's immigration policy in the United States, it's a new, drastic policy. I say that at this point it is important to be patient and to have arguments if, in this analysis, we are asked. It's not a novelty. You have seen how these immigration changes started in the United States, and of course we were at the starting line to lift visas and we have to see what happens next. (...) We have to have arguments and look for relationships and the oppor…