President Donald Trump issued a travel ban on Wednesday from several countries due to possible security risks.

“It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes,” Trump wrote in an order from January, titled Executive Order 14161.

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The travel ban will take effect on June 9 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern, and visas issued before that date will not be affected, according to Reuters.

With this newest travel ban, Trump hopes to improve national security, curb exploitation of the visa system, and reduce the burden on law enforcement, according to his proclamation.

What countries are getting banned from traveling to the US? 

Here’s a list of all 12 countries that Trump banned:

• Afghanistan
• Myanmar
• Chad
• Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Libya
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Yemen

Each of these countries, including the partially restricted countries, poses certain security risks to the United States, including links to terrorism, a lack of a central authority capable of issuing visas, and an unwillingness to remove their citizens from the U.S. when necessary.

According to a report from the Department of Homeland Security published last year, these countries also have problematic overstay rates, or how long a lawfully admitted nonimmigrant has overstayed their welcome, remaining in the country past the expiration of their visa.

What countries are partially restricted? 

Here’s a list of the seven countries Trump partially restricted:

• Burundi
• Cuba
• Laos
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Turkmenistan
• Venezuela

According to the proclamation, foreign nationals from these countries will be unable to gain entry into the U.S. as immigrants or with nonimmigrant tourist or student visas under the partial restriction.

Are there exceptions?

Yes, there are exceptions to the travel ban. Anyone who falls under these categories will not be affected:

• Any legal, permanent resident of the U.S.
• Dual nationals of countries under the travel ban whose passports have not been issued by the banned country
• Diplomats or foreign government officials
• Foreign military members stationed in the U.S.
• Foreign government officials entering the U.S. to conduct business on behalf of their country’s government
• Officials of NATO or other international organizations entering the U.S. to conduct official business
• Athletes, their immediate family, and coaches traveling for the World Cup or the Olympics
• Spouses of U.S. citizens
• Unmarried children under the age of 21 of U.S. citizens
• Unmarried children under the age of 21 of conditional U.S. residents
• Parents of U.S. citizens being sponsored by their child to obtain a permanent green card
• International adoptions by U.S. citizens
• Afghan special immigrant visas
• Immigrant visas for U.S. government employees
• Immigrant visas for those facing persecution in Iran

How is this ban different from Trump’s 2017 travel ban?

Many countries listed on the 2025 travel ban overlap with countries listed on the 2017 travel ban. However, unlike in 2017, the newest travel ban doesn’t include Iraq or Syria, and it emphasizes the significant visa overstay rates that have undermined U.S. immigration laws and national security. 

Trump’s travel ban from 2017 was established after issuing Executive Order 13769 that January, which targeted seven majority-Muslim countries worldwide and was set to expire after 90 days.

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Trump modified the initial ban twice, adding and removing certain countries before making the ban permanent and finally settling on a final version by September. Another executive order issued the following month was a temporary ban affecting refugees trying to gain entry into the U.S. from many of those same places.

After former President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, he quickly overturned the travel ban that month by issuing an executive order allowing visa applications to resume.