The Trump administration plans to expand its travel ban to citizens of more than 30 countries, preventing from entering the United States.
The move expands upon the administration’s original travel ban passed in June 2025. According to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, that policy bars citizens from 12 countries from entering the US and placed numerous restrictions on US travel for citizens of an additional seven countries.
Noem announced the ban’s expansion on December 4 during a Fox News interview. However, she did not confirm the number or names of the countries being added. “I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30,” Noem told Fox News, noting that “the president is continuing to evaluate countries.”
Shortly after the original ban on 19 countries went into place, the Trump administration reportedly began reviewing an additional 36 countries later that month. In June, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in an internal State Department cable that it had identified “36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,” Reuters reported.
The countries under review at the time included more than two dozen African nations, three countries in Central and Southeast Asia, four Caribbean nations, and three South Pacific islands. According to the Reuters report, each of the nations were given 60 days to address concerns such as questionable security and reliability of passports, citizens overstaying their US visas, and acts of terrorism committed in the US by nationals from the country. It is not clear if the latest expansion will be based on the same list.
While no official date has been set for the expanded travel ban to take effect, the Trump administration has already moved forward with several actions to tighten travel and immigration restrictions, according to the American Immigration Council (AIC). Those actions include:
- A freeze on all processing–even for citizenship and temporary status–for anyone who comes from one of the 19 original travel ban countries
- A review–including a potential re-interview–of all applicants from the original 19 travel ban countries who arrived in the US after January 21, 2021 and were granted any immigration benefit, including temporary work authorization, green cards, or refugee status
- A blanket refusal to issue visas to Afghans and destruction of visas already printed
- A pause on decisions (but not interviews) for all current asylum applications filed with US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Below, we break down the details of the current travel ban in place and what to expect from its forthcoming expansion, including who is impacted and who is exempt. If you are visiting the US as a visa or green card holder, here's how you can prepare for travel.
This story has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
What is the US travel ban?
Beginning on Monday, June 9, the citizens of 12 countries have been banned from entering the US. The proclamation, signed by US President Donald Trump on June 4, covers Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. It also partially restricts and limits the entry of nationals from seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The June 2025 policy applies to both immigrants and nonimmigrants and includes exceptions for “lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories, and individuals whose entry serves US national interests,” the White House said in a press release.
The order was announced via the White House's official social media channels on June 4. “We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen," President Trump said. “That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others.”
Who does the travel ban impact?
According to the AIC, the 19 countries covered by the June 2025 ban represent over 475 million people. Those travel restrictions “fully suspend the issuance of immigrant and nonimmigrant visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, and bans immigrant visas and B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas for nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela," the council said in a press release.
The restrictions under the June 2025 policy do not apply to immediate relatives of US citizens, Afghan Special Immigrant Visa beneficiaries, individuals who qualify for a national interest waiver, individuals who currently hold valid visas, as well as those with green cards, according to a legal analysis by the AIC. Additionally, the travel ban does not apply to people who obtained valid visas before June 9, 2025. Visas issued before the proclamation went into effect cannot be revoked retroactively. However, it's not clear if these exceptions will change under the new forthcoming policy.
Which countries are part of the original travel ban?
Nationals of the following 12 countries are banned from entering the US under Trump's order from June 2025:
- Afghanistan
- Myanmar
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
Citizens from the following seven countries face partial entry restrictions under the June 2025 policy:
- Burundi
- Cuba
- Laos
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela
Which countries could be added to the list?
The following 36 countries were under review as of June 2025 as potential additions to the travel ban list. The countries were told they could potentially face full or partial restrictions if concerns were not addressed within 60 days. While it’s still not clear whether these countries will be part of the newly expanded travel ban list, we are including them here for context:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Burkina Faso
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cote D'Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Ethiopia
- Egypt
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Kyrgyzstan
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
When will the expanded travel ban go into effect?
No official date has been set for the expanded travel ban to take effect.
Are there any exemptions?
Under the original June 2025 policy, there are some circumstances in which citizens from the 19 countries on the banned list will be granted entry into the US, including:
- Those who have dual citizenship with another country not included in the travel ban
- Afghan nationals who hold Special Immigrant Visas
- “Lawful permanent residents” of the US
- Those holding “immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran”
- Athletes, coaches and support staff, and immediate relatives of athletes participating in “major sporting events,” including the 2026 World Cup or the 2028 Olympics
- Individuals whose entry is deemed in the national interest by the US Attorney General or Secretary of State
- Refugees, individuals who have been granted asylum in the US, and individuals granted Withholding of Removal or protection under the Convention Against Torture
- Diplomats and NATO personnel
- Immediate relatives of US citizens (spouses, minor children, or parents of US citizens who are at least 21 years old), with proof of their relationship
- Children adopted abroad
It’s not yet clear whether these exemptions will remain in place under the forthcoming expanded policy.
Why now?
The expansion of the travel ban policy comes in the wake of the tragic shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC during Thanksgiving week. A man who immigrated from Afghanistan has been accused in the incident, in which one soldier was killed and another critically injured.
Back in June 2025, the White House said the original travel ban was put in place to protect Americans from “dangerous foreign actors.” Trump cited the recent attack in Colorado during a march in support of Israeli hostages, saying it underscored the dangers of foreign nationals who had “not been properly vetted.” The man accused of carrying out that attack, which injured 12 people, was from Egypt, a country that is under review.
This is not the first time Trump has announced a travel ban. During his first term in 2017, he introduced a similar order restricting travel from specific nations.
A version of this article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK. This is a developing news story and will be updated with information as it becomes available.
