Earlier this year, the US government added new potential travel bans that would affect 43 countries around the world—but they hadn’t yet come into effect.
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A travel ban means that nationals of other countries are banned from visiting the United States. The only country the US doesn’t allow its citizens to visit is North Korea and, depending on whether the ban is actually being enforced, Cuba.
The goal behind the travel bans is to mitigate security risks. Countries could end up on the ban list due to terrorist threats, for example, along with a lack of transparency.
When the first wave of travel bans was announced, it included 11 countries on the red list, 10 countries on the orange list, and 22 countries on the yellow list. Red is the most dire category, followed by orange, then yellow.
Recently, those travel bans were expanded and then launched to their fullest effect on December 16, 2025. Here’s what you need to know.
Inside the latest US travel bans
The most recent proclamation signed by the US President extends an existing ban on select countries, along with adding new names to the list. These countries are on the ‘red list’, meaning nationals are outright banned from entering the United States.
The travel ban applies to nationals with passports from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, and anyone with a document issued by the Palestinian Authority. The latest travel ban adds Sierra Leone and Laos to the list.
Existing countries on the list include: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
On top of these hard bans, partial restrictions remain for Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela.
Additionally, nationals from a longer list of countries will face restricted access to the United States. This list of countries includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
These updates will go into effect starting on January 1, 2025.
