According to a top US official, Romania may be included in the US visa program, which permits residents to travel to America without a visa and remain for up to 90 days.

On Tuesday, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the US is contemplating adding four nations to the program.

"We have four candidates in the pipeline: Israel, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Romania,” he said on Tuesday at a travel industry event."We’re very, very focused on the program,” he added, saying it provides significant economic and security benefits.

 

In September, Croatia was included in the visa waiver program. According to US Travel Association CEO Roger Dow, the addition of Croatia represents a $100 million boost to the US economy. "Every time one of these nations is added, travel surges," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

In February, the Secretary of Homeland Security spoke with the European Commission's Commissioner for Home Affairs, and both "expressed their continued interest in maintaining the US-EU Passenger Name Record Agreement and working with Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, and Romania to meet the Visa Waiver Program qualifications."

To participate in the program, a country must fulfill counter-terrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security, and border management standards.

The program now has 40 nations participating.