Romania will enter the US Visa Waiver scheme by March-April next year after the current administration in Washington triggers the procedure, Romania's ambassador in the United States, Andrei Muraru, told Digi24.

Romanians will still have to request an electronic visa using an application and their electronic passports, like residents of all countries participating in the Visa Waiver scheme. 

The procedure does not require a vote in Congress but only a final evaluation that the experts from the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department who are expected in Bucharest around the end of this month.

"Then, once they get to Washington, they draft a report within around eight weeks. From that moment, this report goes to the Department of State for consultation, and the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, together with the secretary of the Department of State, in a joint letter, notifies Congress, no vote is needed, regarding Romania's accession to the program. This is not a public process," the Romanian ambassador explained.

Andrei Muraru previously announced that Romania formally fulfills all the technical requirements to be part of the Visa Waiver program, as the refusal rate has dropped below 3%.

iulian@romania-insider.com

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