The representatives of the US Embassy to Bucharest state their “optimism” regarding a possible favourable decision to include Romania in the programme “ Visa Waiver” namelz the exclusion of visas for the Romanian citizens who want to travel to the United States of America. « We welcome the confirmation the refusal rate met the threshold for the programme and we appreciate the effort of all those who have applied for or renewed their visas for this year” show the representatives of the diplomatic mission. They show that meeting the refusal rate for travel visas (type B) is only one of the numerous criteria which determine the eligibility of a country for the visa waiver program. Romanians will be able to travel to the US without visas, for tourism and business purposes, from 2025, announces also the Romanian Embassy in Washington. The State Department says Romania has met the visa refusal rate criterion for qualification in the Visa Waiver Program – 2.61%. The State Department published on Wednesday the status of the B1/B2 visa denial rate for fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024). Romania has fallen below the 3% threshold imposed by US law, thus meeting one of the main criteria for joining the program. During fiscal year 2024, Romanian citizens filed 80,596 B1/B2 visa applications worldwide, almost double the number of applications in the previous fiscal year. US diplomatic and consular offices granted over 78,000 B1/B2 visas, a record number for Romania, according to the Romanian Embassy in the US. “Romania’s accession process to the Visa Waiver Program was extremely fair and transparent, and the US authorities’ assessment of Romania is almost complete. Romanians will be able to travel to the United States without visas from 2025, offering this generation the chance to make their friendship with the American people even stronger and the opportunity to build an even more prosperous partnership,” said Andrei Muraru, Romania’s ambassador to the United States. “The technical process is almost complete and we want this process to end. The actual announcement is imminent. We anticipate that somewhere in early January, and the actual entry will be somewhere in March-April,” Andrei Muraru told Digi24. After meeting the technical criteria, a process spanning several months follows, during which assessments by American authorities and an expert-level visit will take place. According to US law, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, designates a country to join the Visa Waiver Program if it meets certain technical requirements. A mandatory condition for a country to be considered eligible is that the visitor visa (type B) rejection rate be less than 3% in the year preceding entry into the program. Romania has set a goal of achieving a visa rejection rate of less than 3% in the current US fiscal year (October 1, 2023-September 30, 2024). The rejection rate is calculated as the ratio between the number of rejections and the number of visa applications. If the number of applications with the highest chance of approval increases, then the rejection rate has the highest chance of decreasing. Historically, the rejection rate for Romanians has been around 10% year after year.
Loud screens and noise stress young children and affect their development Sound pollution in Romanian homes affects children's learning, play, and sleep, who are more vulnerable to noise than adults Studies show that children exposed to TV for 2 hours daily are 6 times more likely to experience language development delays Renowned doctor: Experiences actually […]
Estonian cinema will take center stage at the 24th edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) in the Focus Estonia program, presenting a curated selection featuring both recent releases and rediscovered classics, screened in restored versions. Among the films to be screened is Moonika Siimets' The Black Hole (2024), a dark sci-fi comedy inspired […]
The ITH Group, which includes the portals Vola.ro, Fru.pl, and GoVola.com and operates in Romania, Poland, and Bulgaria, announced the direct integration of LOT Polish Airlines flights into its own platforms. The collaboration strengthens the group’s position as a regional leader in flight ticket distribution, according to its press release. This will be achieved through […]
In a ruling handed down on Tuesday, May 13, the Bucharest Court of Appeal rejected a request by US authorities for the extradition of a 17-year-old Romanian student. The youth is accused of sending hundreds of bomb threats and manipulating underage girls into engaging in acts of extreme violence, sexual exploitation, and self-harm. Aside from […]
Accor, a global leader in hospitality, has announced the expansion of its presence in Romania by signing a franchise agreement with Amazonia Aquapark SRL for Novotel Timișoara. The newly built hotel is scheduled to open by the end of 2027, marking the brand's first property outside Bucharest and becoming a flagship for Novotel in Eastern […]
A survey published on Wednesday, May 14, by the Open Minds Association shows that Romanians strongly support respect and mutual support in the workplace, signaling that the business environment can play a critical role in supporting social unity. According to the first data set from the “Diversity and Inclusion Barometer,” May 2025 edition, 81% of […]
