WASHINGTON – In a major policy reversal, the Trump administration has reversed the entry of Romania into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), citing unspecified security concerns.
The announcement which came late Friday marks a significant reversal of a decision made during the final days of the Biden administration.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the move was made to protect the integrity of the Visa Waiver Program and to ensure border and immigration security.
The Biden administration had added Romania to the list in January, shortly before President Trump began his second term in office.
The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens from participating countries to travel to the US for up to 90 days without a visa for tourism or business purposes. With the reversal, Romanian nationals must continue to apply for traditional visas, a process that can take several months and costs approximately $185.
In a statement, DHS said Romania may be reconsidered in the future should they meet the statutory eligibility criteria.
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed regret over the US decision, maintaining that Romania fulfils all technical requirements, including low visa refusal rates and robust cooperation with US counterterrorism and law enforcement authorities.
Bucharest also called the move a political decision and said it hopes to work with Washington to restore eligibility.
The announcement comes just two days before Romanians return to the polls for a re-run of last year’s annulled presidential election.
The decision comes amid a broad and aggressive review of the visa related policies by Donald Trump whose administration has also revoked visas of hundreds of students enrolled in the universities.
