Frequently Asked Questions
There are two sets of countries included in this proclamation, including a ‘full’ suspension for 12 countries and a ‘partial’ suspension for seven other countries.
The ‘full’ travel ban continues to restrict the entry of nationals from: Afghanistan, Burma/Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. It now extends to Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Syria. Additionally, the full restriction applies to individuals using travel document issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The ‘partial’ ban continues to restrict and limit the entry of immigrants and non-immigrants under the B-1/B-2, F-1/F-2, J-1/J-2 and M-1/M-2 visa categories from the following countries: Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela. The partial restriction and limitation on the entry of nationals of Turkmenistan has been modified. The suspension of entry of nationals from Turkmenistan as non-immigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas is lifted. Because some concerns remain, the entry into the United States of nationals of Turkmenistan as immigrants remains suspended.
Additionally, the ‘partial’ ban extends to restrict and limit the entry of immigrants and non-immigrants from the following countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The above list is not necessarily final, and countries can be added or removed at any time in the future.
Section 6 of the Presidential Proclamation discusses the scope and limitations of the proclamation. Of note, the proclamation indicates that entry restrictions apply only to persons outside the U.S. who do not already have a valid visa on the effective date of the proclamation (January 1, 2026). It does not apply to those with valid immigrant or nonimmigrant visas who are already in the United States on January 1. In addition, the proclamation provides exceptions to persons who already have lawful permanent resident status (‘green card’ holders) and dual nationals who hold passports from non-designated countries, among other exceptions. Please read Section 6 for other types of exceptions.
Travel for those students and scholars from the designated countries who are already in the U.S. is not recommended, especially if you do not have a valid visa for re-entry. Even if you already have a valid visa, we strongly caution against travel until more information is available on how U.S. Customs and Border Protection will implement the entry restrictions.
Those persons from a designated country who are outside the U.S. and who do not have a valid visa for entry into the U.S. may be unable to enter as planned until the travel restrictions included in this proclamation are modified by the government.