US Travel Ban 2026: Full List of 39 Countries and Who Is Exempt

The 2026 US travel ban covers 39 countries. Under Proclamation 10998, signed December 16, 2025 and in effect since January 1, 2026, nationals of 19 countries face a full ban on immigrant and visitor visas, and nationals of 20 countries face a partial ban. Green card holders, dual nationals traveling on a non-listed passport, and a few other groups are exempt. As of October 11, 2026, no court has blocked it.

Key points

• Full ban (19 countries plus Palestinian Authority documents): no immigrant or nonimmigrant visas, subject to narrow exceptions.
• Partial ban (20 countries): no immigrant visas and no B-1/B-2, F, M or J visas. Other visas may be issued with shorter validity.
• The December 2025 proclamation removed the earlier exceptions for immediate relatives of US citizens, adoptions, and Afghan Special Immigrant Visas.
• Visas issued before January 1, 2026 were not revoked under the proclamation.
• USCIS “hold” policies that froze green cards and other benefits for nationals of these countries were mostly vacated by a federal court on June 5, 2026.

The full list of 39 countries

The list below comes from the text of the proclamation (White House) and the Congressional Research Service summary (CRS IN12631).

Full ban (19 countries)

Country	On the June 2025 list?
Afghanistan	Yes (full)
Burkina Faso	New
Burma (Myanmar)	Yes (full)
Chad	Yes (full)
Republic of the Congo	Yes (full)
Equatorial Guinea	Yes (full)
Eritrea	Yes (full)
Haiti	Yes (full)
Iran	Yes (full)
Laos	Moved up from partial
Libya	Yes (full)
Mali	New
Niger	New
Sierra Leone	Moved up from partial
Somalia	Yes (full)
South Sudan	New
Sudan	Yes (full)
Syria	New
Yemen	Yes (full)

People using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority are also fully restricted.

Partial ban (20 countries)

Country	Notes
Angola	New
Antigua and Barbuda	New
Benin	New
Burundi	Continued from June 2025
Côte d’Ivoire	New
Cuba	Continued from June 2025
Dominica	New
Gabon	New
The Gambia	New
Malawi	New
Mauritania	New
Nigeria	New
Senegal	New
Tanzania	New
Togo	Continued from June 2025
Tonga	New
Turkmenistan	Immigrant visas only. The B, F, M and J suspension was lifted
Venezuela	Continued from June 2025
Zambia	New
Zimbabwe	New

What “full” and “partial” mean

Full ban: entry is suspended for both immigrants (green card applicants abroad) and nonimmigrants (visitors, students, workers) unless an exception applies.

Partial ban: entry is suspended for:

• all immigrant visas, including family-based, employment-based and diversity visas, and
• B-1, B-2 and B-1/B-2 visitor visas, F and M student visas, and J exchange visitor visas.

Other nonimmigrant visas, such as H-1B, L-1 or O-1, can still be issued to partial-ban nationals, but consular officers are told to reduce visa validity “to the extent permitted by law.” Shorter validity means the visa expires sooner. It does not change how long you can stay once admitted.

Who is exempt

The proclamation keeps these exceptions (Section 6):

• Lawful permanent residents (green card holders).
• Dual nationals traveling on a passport from a country that is not on the list.
• Holders of certain diplomatic and international organization visas: A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1 to G-4, and NATO-1 to NATO-6.
• Athletes, coaches, support staff and immediate relatives traveling for the World Cup, the Olympics or another major sporting event, as decided by the Secretary of State.
• Special Immigrant Visas for US government employees (INA 101(a)(27)(D)).
• Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
• Case-by-case national interest exceptions granted by the Attorney General, Secretary of State or Secretary of Homeland Security.

The proclamation also does not stop anyone from seeking asylum, refugee status, withholding of removal or protection under the Convention Against Torture, and it does not affect people already admitted as refugees or granted asylum.

Exceptions that were removed

Compared with the June 2025 ban (Proclamation 10949), the December 2025 proclamation dropped:

• the categorical exception for immediate relatives of US citizens (spouses, children, parents) with clear evidence of the relationship. The proclamation says family-based immigrant visas “will no longer be a broad categorical exception”;
• the exception for adoptions;
• the exception for Afghan Special Immigrant Visas.

People in these groups now need a case-by-case national interest exception.

If you already have a visa

The ban applies only to people who were outside the US on January 1, 2026 and did not have a valid visa on that date. The proclamation says visas issued before that date are not revoked under it. In practice:

• If you are in the US now in valid status, the proclamation does not end your status.
• If you leave and need a new visa to come back, the new application is subject to the ban.
• Officers keep their normal power to revoke visas on other grounds.

Before any international travel, talk to a licensed immigration lawyer if you are a national of a listed country.

How the ban affects green cards and USCIS benefits

The proclamation is about entry and visa issuance abroad. Its biggest effect on families is on consular processing: a US citizen can still file Form I-130 for a relative from a listed country, but the relative generally cannot be issued an immigrant visa unless an exception applies. See our guide to sponsoring parents, siblings and adult children for the wider process.

USCIS also took its own action. In December 2025 and January 2026, USCIS issued policies (PM-602-0192 and PM-602-0194) that paused decisions on many benefit applications filed by nationals of the travel-ban countries, paused asylum decisions, and ordered re-review of some approvals. Status as of October 11, 2026:

• June 5, 2026: in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS, a federal court in Rhode Island vacated these hold policies. USCIS said it disagrees with the order but is complying (USCIS alert).
• The government appealed. According to law firm reports, the First Circuit partly stayed the ruling, so USCIS may resume re-reviewing approvals for travel-ban nationals who entered on or after January 20, 2021. The other hold policies remain vacated.

So, as of October 2026, a national of a listed country who is inside the US and files for adjustment of status (Form I-485), naturalization or another benefit should not face a blanket hold. Their case is still reviewed individually and may get extra vetting. The new public charge rule and normal processing delays also apply. See our USCIS processing times guide.

Will the list change?

The proclamation requires the Secretary of State to report every 180 days on whether countries should be added or removed. As of October 11, 2026, no amending proclamation had been published in the Federal Register, and no court had blocked the entry restrictions. We track changes on our updates page and the US hub.

What to do next

1. Check your passport country against the two tables above. If you are a dual national, check which passport you plan to use.
2. If you are inside the US from a listed country, avoid unplanned international travel until you have spoken to a licensed immigration lawyer.
3. If you are sponsoring a relative from a listed country, ask a lawyer whether a national interest exception is realistic before paying consular fees.
4. If you are a green card holder, carry your card when traveling. You are exempt from the ban.
5. Recheck the State Department visa pages before booking travel, because the list can change by proclamation at any time.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Status checked October 11, 2026.