Cypriot passport holders could be very soon eligible to travel visa-free to the US, considering that some of the final assessments for the country to join the visa waiver programme are being implemented.

A special team of American representatives will be visiting Cyprus in the upcoming weeks, carrying out some of the final procedures, such as interconnection of the systems, before moving further with the visa-free agreement, Schengen.News reports.

In order for Cyprus to be eligible for the visa-free travel agreement, there are a set of conditions that must be met. One of these conditions is for Cypriots to have a low visa rejection rate, which is concluded at three per cent.

Cyprus Fulfils Criteria Set for US Visa Waiver Programme

After years of dedication to reach the requirements to be eligible for membership to the visa waiver programme, it has recently been announced that the country has a visa rejection rate of 2.16 per cent – which is below the three per cent threshold.

In addition to the drop in visa rejection rates, Cyprus has also marked progress on its journey to travel visa-free to the US, as the Parliament has agreed to the exchange of information with the American government. The two countries have also improved their cross-border cooperation, especially between the police authorities.

The idea is for the Cypriot leader, Christodoulidis, and President Biden to sign the decision before the Trump administration takes over the government on January 20, 2025.

Romanians to Travel Visa-Free to the US in 2025

Along with Cyprus and Bulgaria, Romania has also been in the process of joining the US visa waiver programme. The country has been successful in its process, as it has been officially announced that Romanians will be allowed to travel visa-free to the US starting in 2025.

One of the most challenging aspects of Romania’s journey of visa-free travel to the US is related to the visa rejection rates, which were considerably higher than the three per cent mark, as required.

In 2024, Romania managed to have less than three per cent of its visa applications to the US refused, which made them eligible for travel to the US without visas.

61 per cent – Romania has fulfilled the criteria of the visa refusal rate for qualification in the Visa Waiver Program. Official announcement of the State Department. 

This milestone will further strengthen the Romanian passport, which currently ranks 39th internationally. According to the VisaGuide Passport Index, Romanian passport holders are allowed to travel visa-free to a total of 111 countries, while a visa is needed for travel to 24 countries in the world.