The Trump administration expanded its travel ban policy by adding 20 new countries and the Palestinian Authority to a list of nations facing severe restrictions on entry into the United States.
The new proclamation doubles the scope of the policy, bringing the total number of affected countries to 39.
The expansion of the list of restricted countries comes in the wake of last month’s shooting of two members of the National Guard in Washington DC, for which an Afghan asylum seeker has been charged.
The White House stated: “Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation that expands and strengthens entry restrictions for nationals of countries with demonstrated, persistent, and serious deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information sharing to protect the nation from national security and public safety threats.”
Under the updated policy, there are two levels of restrictions:
Full entry ban
Citizens of the following countries are excluded from obtaining visas for both immigration and tourism/business travel to the United States:
- New additions: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria.
- Previously listed: Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
- Upgraded from partial ban: Laos and Sierra Leone.
In addition, all persons traveling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority are subject to a complete entry ban.
Partial restriction
Citizens of the following countries are prohibited from obtaining regular tourist (B-1/B-2), student (F, M) and exchange visitor (J) visas, but can still apply for other categories:
- New additions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
- Previously listed: Burundi, Cuba, Togo and Venezuela.
Turkmenistan saw its restrictions eased due to improved cooperation.
The new rules enter into force on 1 January 2026.
Exceptions exist for legal permanent residents (green card holders), diplomats and those whose travel is deemed to be in the national interest.
In the proclamation, President Trump stated that the newly listed countries suffer from problems such as “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents,” high visa overstay rates, or a general lack of government control that hinders U.S. control efforts.
