American Ambassador Mark Gitenstein to Bucharest declared that he hopes that, during his three year mandate, he will see Romania in the Visa Waiver program. The registered high rejection rates for Romania are mainly due to the lack of education of the public regarding the application procedures.
The American diplomat reminded that a country can be included in the Visa Waiver program if the overall rejection rate is less than 3%. The Visa Waiver program waives any visa requirements for a stay up to 90 days on American soil. The latest data on Romania indicated that the rejection rate was 25% in 2008, 12% less than in 2007.
Several months ago, Romania's Foreign Affairs minister declared, after a visit in the US, that by the end of the year, Romanians will be able to travel without a visa in the US. However, the technical issues involved depend on both the US and Romania: in the US, the Congress needs to test the new biometrical data collectors and the Congress did not impose any deadline.
