The Romanian government urges its citizens to extend the US visas as soon as possible. That would increase the country’s chances to reach a maximum rejection rate for visa applications of 3 per cent, which is a requirement for participating in the ESTA-program.
Visa requirement for Romania
Presently, Romanian citizens have to apply for a visa if they want to visit the USA for tourism or business purposes. Romania is one of only a few countries within the EU that are not yet eligible for the digital ESTA travel authorisation for the United States. Eligible travellers can apply for the ESTA online by filling in a simple digital form, while applications for a US visa usually require an interview at the US embassy or consulate. During the interview, an employee at the embassy or consulate decides whether a visa should be issued to the applicant.
There are often long waiting times associated with the mandatory interview. Romanians who need to travel to the USA on a short notice often do not have enough time to schedule an appointment to receive a visa in time. Also, the embassy in Bucharest is the only US mission to Romania, meaning that all Romanians have to travel to the capital city for their visa applications. Therefore, it is not surprising that Romania tries to become admitted to the ESTA-program.
Romania almost meets the requirements for the ESTA
According to the Romanian ambassador to the USA, Dan-Andrei Muraru, the country almost meets the requirements for admission to the US ESTA-program. The most important remaining obstacle is reaching the maximum rejection rate for B1 and B2 visa applications for the USA. This percentage has to be below 3 per cent to be eligible for the ESTA-program. At the end of 2023, the rejection rate for visa applications from Romania was still at 9 per cent.
According to data from the US Department of State, around 60,000 visas were issued to Romanian citizens in 2023. This is the highest yearly figure ever. Romania is now the European country that has received most US visas, behind only Germany. That makes the Romanian ambassador optimistic about the opportunity to reduce the rejection rate to less than 3 per cent this year.
Campaign for the Romanian population
The Romanian government has started a campaign to reach this objective, urging its citizens to extend their (almost) expired US visas. Romania’s prime minister Marcel Ciolacu focuses on holders of a valid or recently expired B1/B2 visa for the USA. He hopes that as many people as possible extend their visas before 30 September 2024.
The thought behind this is that the approval rate for applicants who have held a US visa before should be higher than for people who are applying for their first visa. Also, applying for a second visa is a bit easier, since it is usually not required to go to the US embassy or consulate for an interview. If many Romanians apply for a US visa again, it could reduce the rejection rate to less than the required 3 per cent. The campaign will be promoted on TV, radio and online, among others. The government also launched a special website which explains how to extend a US visa step by step.