DHS Visit to Romanian Border Police: What ATS-G Means

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A delegation from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) paid a working visit to the Romanian General Inspectorate of Border Police on 22 September 2026. Discussions covered data and information exchange, transnational organised crime, and a presentation of the Automated Targeting System – Global (ATS-G), used by the National Passenger Information Unit (UNIP).

The key message for travellers, however, is one of distinction: the statement does not announce a new agreement, publish new passenger rules, or say that airport or land-border checks are changing from now on. This was a working visit and an expression of intent to continue cooperation within a framework that includes tools already in operation.

According to the Border Police statement of 22 September, the agenda focused on strengthening law-enforcement cooperation and identifying practical ways to develop operational cooperation. This wording points to discussions and institutional continuity; it does not describe a new measure entering into force.

What is confirmed after the 22 September visit

The DHS delegation, led by John Gountanis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Plans, visited Border Police headquarters.
Border security, data and information exchange, and combating transnational organised crime were discussed.
ATS-G was presented. Border Police describes it as an IT system for the automated analysis of passenger data, used by UNIP for risk assessment.
The delegation was also given a presentation of the Border Police Operational Centre.

The visit formed part of the DHS delegation’s official programme in Romania, which ran from 19 to 23 September 2026. The institution’s communication refers to cooperation and continued dialogue, not to the signing of a document on the day of the visit.

What the statement does not announce: a new agreement, new data or new checks

The 22 September statement does not mention the signing of a new Romania-US agreement, the publication of a legal act, the entry into force of a procedure, or additional categories of data to be collected from travellers.

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Nor does the statement say that a passenger will have to complete a new form, arrive earlier at the airport, or accept an additional check solely as a result of the DHS visit. It also announces no change to crossing rules for people travelling by car to Bulgaria or through crossing points along the Danube.

This distinction is essential: in the public documents consulted, ATS-G is associated with passenger data in air transport, not with a new procedure for every road border crossing. For people using routes to the coast, Bulgaria or Greece during the summer season, the statement does not in itself change the required documents or travel conditions.

ATS-G is not a system being introduced now

The presentation of ATS-G at the 22 September meeting may create the impression that the system was launched with the visit. Public documents, however, indicate that the tool and the related cooperation had already been under development and in use before this point.

In September 2025, Border Police announced a training session for UNIP staff with US experts. The institution stated at the time that the activity was being carried out under the Agreement between the Governments of Romania and the United States on cooperation in the use of traveller information, signed in Bucharest on 19 January 2024, in the context of implementing ATS-G. The training also covered the use of risk criteria and queries in the application. The 2025 statement therefore shows that the current meeting is a stage in ongoing cooperation, rather than the starting point for the computerised analysis of passenger data.

In other words, the 22 September visit may matter for expanding operational cooperation and sharing expertise, but it is not in itself evidence of an immediate change to the travel experience.

What data may be included in PNR analysis

PNR stands for Passenger Name Record: booking data that airlines routinely collect to arrange travel. In Romania, Law No. 284/2018 provides for the transfer of PNR data to UNIP for extra-EU and intra-EU flights.

The statutory list may include, depending on the information collected by the airline, the name on the booking, contact details, itinerary, form of payment and billing address, seat, baggage, the history of booking changes, and API data relating to the travel document, nationality, date of birth and flight details. The law specifies that data exceeding the statutory list must be deleted automatically and irreversibly after receipt.

Not all of this information amounts to a new “file” requested from a passenger at the airport. Under the mechanism provided by law, the airline transfers data it already holds from the booking and boarding process. This transfer generally takes place 48 to 24 hours before departure and again after boarding closes.

Limits on automated analysis and exchanges with the US

Romanian law permits the use of PNR data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorism and serious crime, as well as for certain threats to national security. It requires assessments based on pre-established criteria to be targeted, proportionate and non-discriminatory.

More importantly for passengers, a positive result generated automatically must be individually re-examined, by non-automated means, by UNIP staff before the data are sent to a competent authority for further checks. The law also states that the result of an assessment cannot be the sole reason for restricting the right to freedom of movement.

There are also rules for transfers to third countries. For PNR data transferred by Romania to authorities outside the EU, the law provides for case-by-case transfers, cumulative conditions concerning purpose, necessity and safeguards, and notification of UNIP’s data protection officer. This framework is relevant to relations with the US: the general expression “data exchange” in the statement should not automatically be equated with unrestricted or permanent access to all data on all passengers.

PNR data are kept in the UNIP system for five years. After six months, elements that may directly identify an individual — including names, contact details, payment information and API data — are masked; any subsequent full disclosure requires the conditions and approvals set out by law. Romania’s regime transposes the EU PNR Directive, which limits the use of the data to fighting terrorism and serious crime and provides data-protection safeguards.

Why precise wording matters

Romania-US cooperation in combating networks involved in human trafficking, drugs, illegal migration or forged documents has an obvious practical dimension. The analysis of travel data can help authorities identify connections and patterns that are not visible during a single check.

But this benefit does not mean that every announcement about cooperation automatically creates a new rule for the public. For passengers to be able to speak of an effective change, there would need to be a concrete measure: a newly concluded agreement made public, a legal act, an announced operational procedure, or explicit information on airlines’ and travellers’ obligations.

As of 23 September 2026, the confirmed information is that Romania and the United States are discussing expanded cooperation, while ATS-G was presented as a tool already implemented at UNIP. No immediate change to the rules for air passengers or people crossing the land border has been announced.