Which countries are banned from US visas in 2026? Full list and what it means for applicants

Throughout 2025 and 2026, the United States government has banned or restricted visas for citizens of different countries and with different measures. If you hold a passport from a country affected by current US visa restrictions, you probably want to know where you stand and if you can apply for a visa or if that job offer you were eyeing is still on the table. The answer depends on which of the three restriction tiers your country sits in and the visa category you are after. It also affects whether the decision is made by USCIS or at a consulate abroad.

The framework we share below reflects the rules in force as of May 2026. We are not listing the countries per group in this article, since the official named country lists live on the State Department's pages and can change with any proclamation update or review. The safest move for you is to confirm against the source links in each section below before acting on anything here. And remember that if you need more clarity, you can always schedule a free call with our consultants.

The three US visa restriction tiers at a glance

Two separate legal instruments are in play, which is why some countries appear on more than one list.

Please note that because Groups 1 and 2 come from a proclamation and Group 3 comes from a separate State Department policy, the lists overlap in places. A national of one country can sit on more than one list at the same time and face both restrictions independently. We have not reproduced the named lists in this post for that reason: the names live with the agency that controls them, and reproducing them here risks falling out of date the moment a list is updated. Use the two official sources:

• Groups 1 and 2: the State Department's Suspension of Visa Issuance under Proclamation 10998 page.
• Group 3: the State Department's Immigrant Visa Processing Updates for Nationalities at High Risk of Public Benefits Usage page.

Group 1: Full ban (19 countries plus Palestinian Authority documents)

For nationals of Group 1 countries, the suspension is broad. All visa categories are suspended, both immigrant (the green card pathway, filed on Form DS-260) and nonimmigrant (filed on Form DS-160). That covers B-1/B-2 tourist and business visas, F and M student visas, J exchange visas and work-based categories like H-1B, L-1, and O-1. Individuals traveling on travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority are also included.

USCIS is not adjudicating pending cases for nationals of Group 1 countries, but is not rejecting them either; cases sit until guidance shifts. Premium processing is not recommended for Group 1 nationals, since the speed promise does not apply if the case is held. No end date has been announced.

Group 2: Partial ban (19 countries, plus Turkmenistan as a special case)

For nationals of Group 2 countries, the scope is narrower. Immigrant visas are suspended, as are B-1/B-2 visitor visas, F and M student visas, and J exchange visas.

Other nonimmigrant categories, including H-1B, L-1, O-1, and E-2, are technically still available. The proclamation instructs consular officers to reduce visa validity to the extent permitted by law, and in practice the State Department has been issuing many of these stamps at a maximum of 3 months with a single entry permitted. That has real operational consequences: more frequent renewals, more consular appearances, and more exposure to denial at each cycle.

Turkmenistan is treated separately under the same proclamation. Only immigrant visas are suspended for Turkmen nationals; nonimmigrant categories are not restricted.

Group 3: Immigrant visa freeze (75 countries)

Group 3 is a separate State Department policy, not part of Proclamation 10998. It pauses immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries on a public-charge risk rationale, and it affects only individuals applying for lawful permanent residence through consular processing abroad.

Nonimmigrant visas are not affected for countries appearing exclusively on the Group 3 list. H-1B, L-1, O-1, E-1, E-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J applications continue under normal rules at consulates, and USCIS continues to process the underlying petitions.

The Group 3 freeze has a narrower set of exceptions than Groups 1 and 2. Dual nationals on a non-listed passport are excepted, but notably there is no carve-out for spouses of US citizens.

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Who is exempt from the US travel ban

Each tier has its own exception list, but several common categories cut across all three:

1. Lawful permanent residents. Green card holders are not subject to the restrictions and can travel as usual.
2. Dual nationals on a non-listed passport. Citizens of both a restricted and a non-restricted country can typically apply on the non-restricted passport, with the caveats below.
3. Diplomats and certain officials. A and G visas, NATO visas, and certain UN-related travel are excepted (Groups 1 and 2).
4. Athletes and team members for major sporting events. Includes the 2026 World Cup, the 2028 Olympics, and similar competitions (Groups 1 and 2).
5. Adoptions. Children entering on IR-3, IR-4, IH-3, or IH-4 visas are excepted (Groups 1 and 2).
6. Afghan Special Immigrant Visas. SIV applicants who worked with the US government in Afghanistan retain access (Groups 1 and 2).
7. Persecuted ethnic and religious minorities from Iran. Carved out under Groups 1 and 2.
8. National interest exception. Discretionary, decided case by case (Groups 1 and 2).

The Group 3 freeze has the tightest exception set: dual nationals on a non-listed passport, and effectively nothing else. There is no exception for spouses of US citizens under Group 3.

Whichever exception you rely on, you will need evidence at the consulate: a green card, a non-listed passport, a DNA test report from an approved lab, an SIV approval notice, or a sporting event credential, as applicable.

What is a national interest exception?

For Groups 1 and 2, the Secretary of State and the Attorney General can grant case-by-case waivers when travel serves a US national interest. This is called a national interest exception, or NIE.

NIEs are not routine. They generally require a specific, documented reason that the travel benefits the United States, such as critical medical treatment, urgent business supporting US economic or strategic interests, or humanitarian situations involving close family members. Requests are typically made through the consulate handling the visa application. Because NIE decisions are discretionary, outcomes vary by post and by case.

What if I already have a valid US visa?

All three restrictions apply to applicants who are outside the United States and did not hold a valid visa as of each measure's effective date. Visas issued before those dates have not been revoked and remain valid until their printed expiration.

Two practical points are worth knowing. Visa validity and admission are separate decisions: a Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry makes the final call. And if your visa later expires, renewing it from a restricted country may be blocked under the current rules. If you hold a valid visa and live in or are visiting a listed country, consult the consulate or an immigration attorney before international travel, especially trips that would require renewal afterward.

What if I am already in the US?

Being inside the US in valid status used to be a clean way to sidestep a consular bar, by changing status or adjusting status without leaving the country. That is no longer the case for Group 1 and Group 2 nationals.

USCIS guidance issued in late 2025 directs officers to consider travel-ban status when adjudicating discretionary immigration benefits, and a parallel policy pauses final adjudication of pending requests from nationals of the 39 Proclamation 10998 countries. The practical effect is that change of status, extension of stay, and adjustment of status filings from Group 1 and Group 2 nationals are being flagged, slowed, or denied even when the applicant never leaves the country. The policy is being challenged in court, but it is applied in the meantime.

For Group 3 nationals, the picture is better. Group 3 is a State Department consular policy, not a USCIS adjudication policy, so change of status and adjustment of status for Group 3 nationals are generally proceeding under normal rules. If you have an approved I-140 and a current priority date, adjusting status through Form I-485 from inside the US is often the cleanest path to a green card for a Group 3 national.

Whichever group applies to you, talk to an immigration attorney before assuming an in-country path is safe. The rules here have shifted faster than the official guidance pages reflect.

What if I'm a dual national?

Dual nationality is one of the cleanest paths around the restrictions, but the strength of the path varies by tier.

For Group 3, a dual national applying on a non-listed passport can usually proceed under normal rules. This is the most predictable case.

For Groups 1 and 2, a dual national can try with a non-listed passport, but the outcome is not guaranteed even with a clean second passport. Consular and CBP officers can look beyond the passport being presented, examining birthplace, prior nationalities, and other factors. The proclamation does not stop officers from considering a known secondary nationality during an interview, and consular discretion on visa issuance is wide. Outcomes are unpredictable even when the applicant is technically eligible.

USCIS adds another wrinkle: the dual nationality exception is built around consular processing, and USCIS officers applying the in-country guidance described above may not give a secondary citizenship the same weight a consular officer would. If you are inside the US on a Group 1 or Group 2 passport and your second nationality is non-listed, talk to an attorney about whether to present the second passport in a USCIS filing and how.

In all cases, the second nationality has to be genuine. Citizenship by descent, birth, or long-term naturalization is recognized. Residence permits and refugee travel documents are not. Disclose all nationalities on the DS-160 or DS-260, and bring documentation of each to your interview.

Where to check the latest list

The list has changed several times since 2017, sometimes through new proclamations and sometimes through reviews that add or remove specific countries. The two primary sources in 2026 are:

• The State Department's Suspension of Visa Issuance under Proclamation 10998 page for the Group 1 and Group 2 lists.
• The State Department's Immigrant Visa Processing Updates page for the Group 3 list.

The country-specific page on travel.state.gov for the country whose passport you hold is also worth checking, and calling the consulate handling your case is worth doing if your timeline is tight.

What to do if you're affected

If you hold a passport from a listed country and need to travel to or work in the US, the practical options narrow but don't disappear.

1. Confirm your tier (or tiers) and category. Check both State Department source pages, since the lists overlap. Identify whether your visa type is suspended, reduced, or open under each restriction that applies to your nationality.
2. Check whether you fit a standard exception. Lawful permanent residence, dual nationality on a non-listed passport, adoption, SIV status, and the other categories above bypass the suspension entirely.
3. For Groups 1 and 2, consider whether a national interest exception applies. NIEs are discretionary, but cases that genuinely fit the criteria are worth pursuing.
4. If you are already in the US, get advice before filing. Change of status and adjustment of status from inside the US are not the clean workarounds they once were for Group 1 and Group 2 nationals. For Group 3, in-country paths are generally still open.
5. Explore alternative pathways. Some applicants whose primary category is blocked may qualify for a different category, or for a third-country option such as employment elsewhere first.
6. Talk to an immigration attorney. A short consultation can clarify which paths are realistic for your facts before you spend time on an application that's likely to be refused.

If you already hold a valid visa and are preparing for a trip, our guide on US visa interview tips covers what consular and CBP officers focus on at entry. If a recent application was refused for reasons unrelated to the proclamation, our breakdown of what to do after a visa denial walks through the most common refusal grounds.

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