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This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
Donald Trump Administration U.S. Travel Bans and Restrictions (2025) are decisions issued under presidential proclamations and executive orders by U.S. President Donald J. Trump in 2025 that suspend either fully or partially the entry of citizens of certain countries into the United States and impose restrictions on visa issuance.
The implementation covers both immigrant and non-immigrant visa categories and includes different levels of restrictions—full travel ban, partial travel restriction, and document-based entry suspension—based on country-specific risk assessments.
In the first phase, restrictions targeting specific countries were enacted through a presidential proclamation dated 4 June 2025; the scope was expanded and the country lists and restriction types were revised by the proclamation dated 16 December 2025. The final form of the implementation was announced to take effect as of 1 January 2026.
U.S. President Donald Trump, 6 June 2025 – (Anadolu Ajansı)
Donald Trump Administration U.S. Travel Bans and Restrictions (2025) were implemented under the authority granted to the President by Sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). These sections permit the suspension of entry into the United States of foreign nationals deemed to be detrimental to the national interests of the United States.
The administrative and legal framework for the implementation was established by Executive Order 14161 dated 20 January 2025. This order states that U.S. policy aims to prevent entry by foreign nationals who constitute foreign terrorist threats or other national security and public safety risks. It emphasizes the need to strengthen screening and vetting mechanisms in the visa issuance process.
The first presidential proclamation, issued on 4 June 2025, established decisions for full and partial entry suspensions for specific countries. The preparation of this proclamation relied on official reports jointly prepared by the Secretary of State, Attorney General, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Director of National Intelligence, which identified deficiencies in country-specific screening and evaluation processes. These reports were submitted to the President and formed the foundational documents for the decision-making process.
The second presidential proclamation dated 16 December 2025 is a legal instrument that expands and revises the travel ban regime introduced in June 2025. According to the official White House briefing note, the purpose of the proclamation is to “expand and strengthen entry restrictions on nationals of countries demonstrating clear, persistent, and serious deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing.”
With this proclamation:
Regarding the judicial framework, White House documents recalled that the U.S. Supreme Court had previously ruled the travel bans implemented during Donald Trump’s first term as constitutional. The Court determined that these measures fell within the President’s statutory authority and were grounded in legitimate security objectives.
The Donald Trump Administration U.S. Travel Bans and Restrictions are justified on grounds of national security and public safety. Presidential proclamations and briefing notes issued by the White House state that the primary objective of the policy is to restrict entry by foreign nationals when adequate risk assessments cannot be conducted.
Presidential proclamations indicate that U.S. policy seeks to prevent risks associated with “foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats.” It is alleged that screening and vetting mechanisms used in visa issuance and admission processes are inadequate with respect to certain countries.
The White House briefing note specifies that entry restrictions are applied for the following purposes:
The documents also note that certain countries have inadequate identity management systems, unreliable birth records, criminal records, and passport samples, and fail to engage in regular information sharing with U.S. authorities. This situation is said to create risks in U.S. visa and entry evaluation processes.
As a key criterion in the justification, U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Entry/Exit Overstay Reports were heavily utilized. Documents record that nationals of certain countries exhibit high rates of visa overstay under B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visa categories.
Additionally, it is noted that some countries refuse to repatriate their nationals deported from the United States, thereby complicating U.S. immigration enforcement. This refusal is cited as a limiting factor in country-specific risk assessments. The implementation is explicitly described as country-specific. Presidential proclamations state that each country is evaluated based on:
and is then placed under either a full or partial restriction accordingly.
The first travel ban issued in June 2025 was enacted by U.S. President Donald J. Trump through a presidential proclamation dated 4 June 2025. This proclamation was based on country-specific evaluation reports prepared under Executive Order 14161 dated 20 January 2025 and coordinated by the Department of State.
Under the June 2025 proclamation, entry into the United States by nationals of the following 12 countries, whether for immigrant or non-immigrant status, was fully suspended:
For Afghanistan, visa overstay rates were determined at 29.30% for student and exchange visas (F, M, J) and 9.70% for B-1/B-2 visas. The proclamation noted that passport and civil documentation processes in the country are unreliable and not effectively managed by a central authority.
For Myanmar (Burma), visa overstay rates were recorded at 42.17% for F, M, and J visas and 27.07% for B-1/B-2 visas. It was also stated that Myanmar has historically refused to cooperate in repatriating its nationals deported from the United States.
For Chad, the B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate was reported at 49.54% and the F, M, and J visa overstay rate at 55.64%. The documents indicate that these rates have increased compared to previous years and are viewed as indicators of noncompliance with U.S. immigration laws.
For Equatorial Guinea, visa overstay rates for student and exchange visas reached 70.18%. This rate was identified as a high-risk factor in screening and vetting procedures.
For Eritrea, it was noted that criminal records are not shared with U.S. authorities, reliable data on identity and passport issuance is unavailable, and the country refuses to repatriate its nationals deported from the United States.
For Haiti, the B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate was reported at 31.38% and the F, M, and J visa overstay rate at 25.05%. The proclamation also highlighted limited central governance capacity and the inability to conduct effective screening processes in the country.
For Libya and Somalia, passport and civil documentation systems are described as fragmented, with no effective central authority, rendering reliable screening impossible. Somalia was additionally designated in the presidential proclamation as a “terrorist safe haven.” (“safe haven for terrorists”)
For Sudan, visa overstay rates for F, M, and J visas were recorded at 28.40%. For Yemen, the proclamation emphasized ongoing U.S. military operations in the country, the central government’s inability to exercise control over all national territory, and the resulting inadequacy of screening processes.
Under the June 2025 proclamation, the following seven countries were subjected to partial travel restrictions:
Restrictions in these countries specifically applied to the following visa categories:
Applications under these visa categories were declared ineligible for approval except under exceptional circumstances. For visa categories not subject to restriction, it was indicated that visa validity periods would be shortened and single-entry visas would be issued.
The June 2025 presidential proclamation explicitly defined specific groups exempted from the general ban. These exemptions apply to nationals of both the 12 countries under full ban and the 7 countries under partial restriction. Exemptions are determined based on legal status, official function, or individual case evaluations.
Among the exempted groups identified in the proclamation are:
In addition, two separate authorities are empowered to grant special exemption approvals on a case-by-case basis:
Applications for exemptions are evaluated individually in coordination with relevant security agencies. Furthermore, individuals who have previously sought asylum in the United States, obtained refugee status, or are under international protection against torture or ill-treatment are also excluded from the scope of the restrictions.
The expanded and revised travel ban as of December 2025 was announced by United States President Donald J. Trump through a new presidential proclamation issued on 16 December 2025 and will take effect on 1 January 2026 at 00:01 Eastern Time. This proclamation expanded the scope of the travel ban issued on 4 June 2025, restructured the list of countries and modified the types of restrictions applied to certain nations.
Under the new regulation, the number of countries subject to full or partial travel restrictions has increased from 19 to 39. All countries listed in the June 2025 proclamation remain included under the December 2025 proclamation, and for some countries the level of restriction has been increased.
The December 2025 proclamation raised the number of countries subject to a complete suspension of entry for both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas from 12 to 19. The countries previously under the full ban in June 2025 remain unchanged, and seven additional countries have been added to the full ban.
For nationals of these countries, the issuance of all immigrant visas and all nonimmigrant visas has been suspended. The proclamation states that these countries continue to exhibit unresolved structural deficiencies in identity verification, information sharing, passport security, visa violation rates and cooperation on return.
For the first time, the December 2025 proclamation introduced a specific provision targeting individuals seeking entry to the United States using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority. Under this provision, no immigrant or nonimmigrant U.S. visa will be issued to holders of such documents. This regulation will be applied based solely on the nature of the travel document, regardless of the holder’s nationality.
The December 2025 proclamation increased the number of countries subject to partial entry restrictions from 7 to 19.
For these countries:
Consular officials have been instructed to issue only minimum-duration, single-entry visas even for visa categories not suspended. It has been noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun applying a maximum validity of three months for certain countries.
Under the December 2025 proclamation, restrictions on Turkmenistan have been partially eased. While in June 2025 both immigrant visas and nonimmigrant visas in categories B, F, M and J were suspended, the new regulation stipulates:
The presidential proclamation of 16 December 2025 expanding the travel ban regime defines exceptions and exemptions and clarifies which groups of individuals are covered.
According to the proclamation, individuals who hold a permanent resident status (Green Card) in the United States are exempted from the restrictions, even if they are nationals of countries subject to full or partial travel bans. Their right to enter the United States is not suspended.
The proclamation explicitly states that visas issued and valid prior to 1 January 2026 will not be automatically revoked. However, it is noted that such visas do not guarantee entry into the United States and are subject to security and admissibility reviews at the border.
The travel ban and restrictions do not apply to individuals holding visas in the following categories: A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5 and NATO-6. This exemption covers foreign government officials, representatives of international organizations and NATO personnel.
The proclamation grants the U.S. Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to grant individual exceptions in cases deemed necessary for national interest or U.S. national security. These exceptions are to be applied:
The proclamation also states that entry to the United States under international sporting events, official cultural activities and international conferences may be considered for exception, provided such entry is deemed appropriate by relevant federal authorities. These exceptions are to be event-specific and time-limited.
In June 2025, a presidential proclamation signed by U.S. President Donald Trump suspended entry into the United States for citizens of 12 countries and imposed partial travel restrictions covering specific visa categories for seven other countries. A second presidential proclamation issued on 16 December 2025 increased the number of countries subject to full and partial restrictions and altered the status of some countries. As part of this revision, entry into the United States using travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority was suspended and restrictions concerning Turkmenistan were partially eased. It was decided that the expanded and revised travel ban would take effect on 1 January 2026.
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Purpose and Rationale of the Policy
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First Travel Ban (June 2025)
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