Trump's expanded travel ban: Complete list of 39 affected countries

The Trump administration expanded its travel ban policy by adding 20 new countries and the Palestinian Authority to a list of nations facing severe entry restrictions into the United States.

With the new proclamation, the scope of policy doubles, 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 National Guard members in Washington D.C., for which an Afghan asylum seeker has been charged.

The White House stated, “Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the Nation from national security and public safety threats.”

According to the updated policy, there are two tiers of restrictions:

Full entry ban

Nationals from the following countries are barred from obtaining visas for both immigration and tourism/ business travel to U.S.:

• New Additions: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
• Previously Listed: Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
• Upgraded from Partial Ban: Laos and Sierra Leone.

Additionally, all individuals traveling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority are subject to a full entry ban.

Partial restriction

Nationals from the following countries are banned from obtaining common visas like tourist (B-1/B-2), student (F, M), and exchange visitor (J) visas, but may still apply for other categories:

• New Additions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The 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 will be effective from January 1, 2026.

Exemptions exist for lawful permanent residents (green card holders), diplomats and those whose travel is deemed in the national interest.

In the proclamation, President Trump stated the newly listed countries suffer from issues like “widespread corruption, fraudulent, or unreliable civil documents,” high visa overstay rates, or a general lack of government control that hinders U.S. vetting efforts.