Non Immigrant Visa Information

Important Notice To Visa Applicants

New Appointment System and Application Procedures for Visa Applicants Available at www.ustraveldocs.com/ro

All applicants (except those who qualify for the Visa Renewal program) must appear at the Consular Section for a personal interview. We encourage applicants to carefully read the information on this website before coming to their interview.

All Romanians who want to visit the United States temporarily must apply for a non-immigrant visa. There are a wide variety of reasons for a non-immigrant visa, including tourism, business, medical treatment, and certain types of temporary work. The type of visa needed is defined by immigration law, and relates to the principal purpose of your travel. For an overview of the types of nonimmigrant visas available under immigration law, please see non-immigrant visa classifications on the USCIS website.

Holding a visa does not guarantee entrance into the United States. Although you were issued a visa, only the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has the authority to allow you into the United States and to determine the length of your visit. At the port of entry, a CBP official must validate your Record of Arrival - Departure (Form I-94) which tells you how long you may stay.

The information on this website is designed to help you understand the process and to come to the interview prepared. The visa application process is explained in detail at Application Process link. If you have any visa related question, please check our Frequently Asked Questions section. Every applicant must fill out an application form online. For a list of the standard forms required, visit the Forms and Documents page. Depending on the type of visa, applicants may be required to bring additional documents to the visa interview. For a list of required documents, select the type of visa for which you are applying from the list to the left.

You may also find here useful information about Visa Refusals and Questions and Answers about Section 214(b) of INA (PDF File, 418kb). If you are unable to find the information you need on our website, feel free to contact us at visasbucharest@state.gov.

Visa Appointment and Processing Wait Times

There are many factors that may influence the processing of individual visa cases, such as additional administrative processing or incomplete applications. Applicants should plan well in advance of their proposed travel plans and apply early for a visa. For further information on wait time, please check the Visa Appointment and Processing Times page. In general, if the visa is approved, the next business day it will be printed and the passport will be delivered to the courier services provider (Sameday Courier).

Legal Rights and Protections

The U.S. Government is committed to fight human trafficking and labor abuses in all their forms. The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (PDF File, 253Kb) explains your rights, protections and resources. Further information is available at page Rights and Protections for Temporary Workers.

PROGRAMS:

Expedited Visa Renewal Pilot Program

Effective January 19, 2012, certain visa applicants meeting the requirements below may utilize the new procedure to renew their visa. The program applies to the following visa categories:

B1/B2 (Business/Tourism) Visa Applicants:

• Have a previously issued B1/B2 visa which is either still valid or has expired within the last 48 months and have been interviewed after January 1, 2008.

Visa applicants with the age of 80 or more are also entitled to use this program.

F, J*, M (Students and Exchange Visitors) Visa Applicants:

• Have a previously issued F, J*, or M visa which is either valid or has expired within the last 48 months, have been interviewed after January 1, 2008, and will continue participation in the same program or attendance at the same institution as in the previous visa.

*(Does not apply to Summer Work Travel. See Below.)

C1/D (Crew Members) Visa Applicants:

• Have a previously issued C1/D visa which is either still valid or has expired within the last 48 months and have been interviewed after January 1, 2008.

Please note that:

• Visa applicants who changed their name after marriage/divorce are not eligible for this program. They will have to come to the visa interview.
• J Summer Work Travel visa applicants are not eligible for this program. They will have to come to the visa interview.
• If your previous passport with a U.S. visa was lost/stolen, and you meet all requirements for the visa renewal program, please submit a police report stating that your passport was lost/stolen, in addition to the required documents.

Visa applicants wishing to take advantage of this service should ensure they send their application and supporting documents to the Embassy through TNT. All passports will be collected by the applicants from the TNT offices. When submitting your application and supporting documents, please allow time for the courier service and the adjudication by a Consular Officer. Please note that we reserve the right to call applicants for an in-person interview for any reason deemed necessary by the adjudicating Consular Officer.

Diplomats and Government Officials

Certain applicants may qualify to use this program, which allows them to apply for a visa without a personal interview. To see the qualifying terms and conditions and the procedure that needs to be followed, please go to Diplomats & Government Officials page.

Business Visa Facilitation Program (BVFP) for AMCHAM Members

This program is designed for business travel only for full-time employees of member companies of the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania (AMCHAM). The applicants entitled to this program will have access to special appointment blocks each week. For further information on this program, please contact the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania.

Summer Work Travel

The Summer Work Travel program allows full-time university students to work in the United States for up to four months during their summer vacation. For more information about the program, please visit our Summer Work Travel page or the Summer Work Travel page of the Department of State.

For any visa-related question not answered on the consular section’s website, applicants may refer to the A-Z Subject Index or send a message to the following email address: VisasBucharest@state.gov.