ESTA for USA travel: New 2025 guidelines

The US Department of State has announced an update to the Visa Waiver Program. We explain the updates for Romania, British citizens, and Taiwan.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allows travelers to come to the USA without a visa for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. So instead of going through a lengthy and expensive visa process, eligible individuals from certain countries can obtain an electronic travel authorization before departure by submitting an ESTA application (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) online.

It has been known for some time that Romania will be the 43rd country to be added to the list of ESTA countries in March 2025. Further details on visa waiver eligibility have now been clarified on the US government's online presence for travelers from Taiwan and the United Kingdom:

Additional paragraphs under the VWP Country List clarify that wherever reference is made to a "country" or "countries", Taiwan is also meant. The background is that a US law (Taiwan Relations Act) stipulates that Taiwan is treated as a country in certain legal contexts - even if the US respects the one-China policy, according to which Taiwan is not recognized diplomatically as an independent state.

It also clarifies that British nationals can only travel to the USA without a visa if they have unrestricted right of residence in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man.

Persons from British Overseas Territories or with special status (e.g. residents of Gibraltar, Bermuda, the Falkland Islands, or the British Virgin Islands) have a British passport, but their permanent right of residence applies primarily only in their Overseas Territory, unless an application for full British citizenship has been granted. The application has been open to all British overseas citizens since 2002, but has not been made by all residents.

After the inclusion of Romania in the Visa Waiver Program, the ESTA country list looks as follows:

¹ The validity period of an ESTA authorization for travelers from Brunei was reduced from two years to one year, effective July 6, 2023.

² The validity period of an ESTA authorization for Hungarian travelers was reduced from two years to one year, effective August 1, 2023. Additionally, Hungarians are now allowed only one entry into the U.S. per ESTA and must provide a Hungarian birth certificate for the ESTA application.

³ For all references to "country" or "countries," it should be noted that Taiwan is included, as the U.S. has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan since 1979.

⁴ To travel under the VWP, British citizens must have the unrestricted right of permanent residence in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man.

Romanian citizens may submit an ESTA application from March 31st, 2025, at the latest. Entry under the Visa Waiver Program is then possible as soon as the application has been approved, which usually only takes a few minutes, but a maximum of 72 hours.

A country must meet various requirements to be considered for inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program. The requirements include, but are not limited to:

• increased exchange of law enforcement and security data with the United States
• issuance of electronic passports
• a refusal rate for visitor visas (B visas) of less than three percent (when first issued)
• Timely reporting of lost and stolen passports, both blank and issued passports
• Maintaining high standards of counterterrorism, law enforcement, border control and document security

However, designation as a VWP country is at the discretion of the US government. Meeting the objective requirements is no guarantee that a country will be granted VWP status.

Anyone wishing to use ESTA must not only be a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program country, but must also meet other requirements. These relate to the purpose of travel and certain individual characteristics or life events.

The following requirements apply to Romanian citizens who wish to travel to the USA under the Visa Waiver Program:

• The stay must be for business or tourism and must not exceed 90 days.
• Travelers must have a machine-readable, electronic passport that meets international standards.
• Travelers must not have traveled to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen on or after March 1st, 2011, or have been in Cuba since January 12th, 2021.
• Travelers must not be a citizen of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Sudan, or Syria in addition to being a citizen of a VWP country.

These requirements are part of the US government's comprehensive security measures.

With the introduction of ESTA, Romanian citizens can enter the USA much more cheaply, easily, and with drastically reduced waiting times. Previously, entry was only possible with a traditional visa from embassies or consulates.

Romanian citizens must apply for a US visa if they:

• want to work in the USA
• want to study in the USA
• want to immigrate to the USA
• have not received
• ESTA authorization after an application (ESTA rejected) ESTA at a glance

However, these rules apply not only to Romanians, but to all visitors to the USA.

You can submit your ESTA application via esta-application.com or directly to the US government.

Remember: any mistake can jeopardize your ESTA approval and result in you being banned from the ESTA system forever. We therefore recommend that you submit your application through an agency. If you would like a thorough check of your data and personal assistance with your ESTA application, please contact esta-application.com.