Countries Where Visa Required for Entry

Currently, there are 41 countries that require American citizens get a visa stamped in a valid passport in order to enter them. Most of these are located in either Africa or the Middle East although there are a few Asian and South American countries on the list. Some of the most popular destinations where visas are required include China, Egypt, India, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Nearly a third of the countries on the list issue visas upon arrival. Even so, travelers are encouraged to obtain visas prior to departure for the following reasons:

• Many of the countries limit the ports of entry where visas are issued, sometimes to only one location.
• Some locations can take as long as an hour or more to issue the visa and, oftentime, under great scrutiny.
• You might be asked to present documents that you do not have.
• Some visas issued upon arrival have a shorter validity period than those issued before arrival.
• It is not uncommon for countries who issue visas upon arrival to shut down the program.

There are some countries such as the Philippines where the process of getting a visa upon arrival is usually done without any complications. The best way, however, to make sure you are issued a visa is to apply before you leave the United States.

Countries on the list with an asterick issue visas upon arrival. Vietnam requires a written approval before they will issue the visa at a port of entry.

Afghanistan Algeria Angola Australia (ETA) Azerbaijan Bahrain* Bangladesh* Belarus Benin Bhutan Bolivia* Brazil Burkina Faso* Burma (Myanmar) (eVisa) Burundi* Cambodia* Cameroon Cape Verde* Central African Republic Chad China Comoros* Côte d'Ivoire (eVisa) Cuba Congo (Dem Rep) Congo (Republic) Djibouti* Egypt* Eritea

Ethiopia* Gabon (eVisa) Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau* India (eVisa) Iran Iraq Jordan* Kenya (eVisa) Kuwait* Laos* Lebanon* Liberia Libya Madagascar* Malawi* Maldives* Mali Mauritania* Mozambique Nauru Nepal* Niger Nigeria North Korea Oman* Pakistan Papua New Guinea*

Paraguay* Qatar* Russia Rwanda* Saudi Arabia Sierra Leone Somalia* South Sudan Sri Lanka (ETA) Sudan Suriname* Syria Tajikistan* Tanzania* Timor Leste* Togo* Tonga* Turkey (eVisa) Turkmenistan Tuvalu* Uganda* United Arab Emirates* Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia* Zimbabwe*

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