President Donald Trump has announced a significant expansion of the United States travel ban, extending entry restrictions to nationals of five additional countries and to individuals travelling on documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.
According to a statement from the White House, the new measures are aimed at strengthening national security and will take effect from January 1. Under the revised policy, full entry bans will apply to travellers from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. Individuals holding Palestinian Authority travel documents are also subject to a complete suspension of entry.
In addition, Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously under partial travel limitations, have now been moved to the list of countries facing full restrictions. The administration has also imposed partial travel limits on 15 more countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
President Trump, who has pursued stricter immigration policies since returning to office in January, said the expansion was necessary due to weaknesses in overseas screening and vetting systems. US officials cited concerns such as high visa overstay rates, unreliable civil documentation, corruption, terrorist activity and poor cooperation from some governments in accepting deported nationals.
The White House linked the decision to recent security concerns, including the arrest of an Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members over the Thanksgiving weekend, which officials said underscored the need for tighter controls.
This marks the third major travel ban introduced by Mr Trump. During his first term, a similar policy announced in 2017 triggered widespread protests and legal challenges but was eventually upheld by the US Supreme Court.
Officials said the restrictions will remain in force until affected countries demonstrate measurable improvements in identity management, information-sharing and collaboration with US immigration authorities.
Despite the expanded scope, the administration clarified that the ban will not apply to lawful permanent residents, most existing visa holders, diplomats, or athletes participating in major international sporting events. Provisions have also been made for case-by-case waivers where travel is considered to be in the national interest.
Countries under full entry restrictions include:
Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Individuals travelling on Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed documents are also fully restricted.
Countries facing partial restrictions include:
Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Special case:
Turkmenistan will continue to face restrictions on immigrant visas, though non-immigrant visa limitations have been lifted.
