What you need to know:
- Citizens of Syria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and South Sudan will be banned from coming to America.
- People with travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority are also subject to a complete ban.
- Sierra Leone and Laos move from partial to full ban
- The moves come after an Afghan immigrant was charged in the shootings of two National Guardsmen in November
- New restrictions will come into effect from January 1
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a proclamation further restricting entry of foreign nationals into the United States.
Here’s what we know so far:
Which countries are affected by Trump’s final US travel ban?
complete travel ban
Syria, as well as the African countries Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and South Sudan are now under a complete travel ban.
The Trump administration has also completely banned the entry of people with travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.
The administration previously made it virtually impossible for anyone holding a Palestinian Authority passport to obtain travel documentation to visit the United States for business, work, pleasure, or educational purposes.
Citizens of Sierra Leone and Laos, previously subject to partial travel restrictions, are now completely banned from entering the US.
Nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen were already subject to a complete travel ban imposed in June, 2025.
This brings the total number of countries under a complete travel ban, including the Palestinian Authority, to 19.
partial travel ban
An additional 15 countries are being added to the list of countries facing partial sanctions, primarily from sub-Saharan Africa.
The African nations are Angola, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Tonga are also under partial restrictions.
The countries Burundi, Cuba, Togo and Venezuela will continue under a partial travel ban imposed in June, 2025.
This means 19 countries are now under a partial travel ban after the US lifted a partial travel ban on citizens of Turkmenistan on Tuesday.
What do the US travel restrictions mean?
The restrictions apply to both people wishing to visit the US, such as tourists, students and business travelers, as well as people wishing to immigrate there.
People who already have a visa, are lawful permanent residents of the United States or have certain visa categories such as diplomats or athletes are exempt from the restrictions.
People whose entry into the country is considered to serve US interests are also exempted from sanctions.
The government said these latest restrictions will take effect from January 1, 2026.
Why is Trump imposing more restrictions on travel to the US?
While Trump has made a crackdown on immigration a cornerstone of his presidency, the latest travel restrictions appear to be influenced by several recent events.
The Trump administration first suggested it would extend travel restrictions following the arrest of an Afghan civilian suspect in the shootings of two National Guard soldiers in November.
Since the shootings, the US has halted all asylum claim decisions and suspended processing of immigration applications from the initial 19 countries subject to the travel ban.
Trump also threatened military action against Nigeria in early November. The US President claims that Christians are being persecuted in the country, which Nigeria disputes.
Most recently, on Saturday, Trump vowed “very serious retaliation” against Syria after two US soldiers and an interpreter were killed by a suspected “Islamic State” attacker there.
In its Statement, White House Said that it was difficult to vet citizens of many countries affected by the new sanctions due to “widespread corruption, fraud or unreliable citizen documents and criminal records”.
It also said that some countries have very high rates of people overstaying their visas or refusing to take back their citizens.
Edited by: Kieran Burke