The expected lifting of visas for the United States could be delayed. Although official communications mentioned March 31, 2025, the program could now be delayed because the American side has been busy implementing the deportation policies of the new Trump administration, according to Digi24 sources. The US Department of Homeland Security says it is “re-analyzing” Romania’s entry into the Visa Waiver program.
“We can tell you that, in line with the Trump administration’s focus on national security, the Department of Homeland Security is reviewing Romania’s recent designation in the Visa Waiver Program. At this time, there are no updates regarding the implementation of ESTA,” the US Department of Homeland Security said in a response to HotNews.
Acting President Ilie Bolojan said he had no more information than what the Foreign Ministry had provided.
“My colleagues informed me when I left the European Council. Apart from the clarifications made by the Foreign Ministry, I have no other issues to comment on. I believe that by the end of this month we will have a joint communication, indicating the date on which the Visa Waiver program will enter into force,” Bolojan said after the European Council in Brussels.
The Romanian Government says that this is a postponement of the Visa Waiver program, but it is not an official decision. It would only be a delay on the American side.
Officially, the Romanian Government has not received any notification from American officials regarding a review of the decision. However, sources within the executive say that at the beginning of this month, the implementation of the project was supposed to begin, the necessary technical steps were to be taken so that visas would be lifted after March 31, that is, in less than 2 weeks. Which did not happen, because the process was delayed due to technical problems.
This is the reason cited by sources at the top of the Romanian Government, but it is not clear at this time whether the technical problems are related to Donald Trump’s migration policy or to the elections in our country. What is certain, however, is that the same sources from the Victoria Palace say that there could be a postponement of up to two months.
Visa Waiver is an extremely important project for our country. Romania has been trying for over 20 years to enter this program that allows citizens to travel to the US without visas.
Romanian Ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru, told Digi24 that the Romanian Embassy in the United States capital is in active dialogue with the American authorities, in direct contact with the Department of Homeland Security, which is mandated to implement Romania’s accession to the Visa Waiver Program.
There is currently no official communication regarding the modification of the initial effective entry date into the program. Romania has met all the strict security requirements necessary to access the American visa waiver program.
“The Romanian Embassy in Washington is in active dialogue with the American authorities, in direct contact with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is mandated to implement Romania’s accession to the United States Visa Waiver Program. There is currently no official communication regarding the modification of the date envisaged for updating the travel authorization system – ESTA”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, in turn, in a press release.
“Romania considers the Visa Waiver Program as a security partnership and we are convinced that its operationalization will contribute to border security and the fight against illegal migration,” the MFA also says. At this time, the Program’s official website indicates that the date of the waiver of tourist visas for Romania “is to be announced.”