We all know that the US is one of the luckiest countries on Earth because its citizens have an active passport, they can travel to many countries without needing to have a travel visa.
However, as they say, every rule has an exception, and this saying also applies to the US. Some countries will still require an American citizen to go through the bureaucracies of going through a tedious and costly visa application.
Thankfully, all the hassle of getting a visa has been minimized because of the Internet; people from almost anywhere in the world can now apply for a visa online! So if you have a US passport and you want to know the countries that require a visa for US citizens, you came to the right place.
ALSO READ: Visa-free countries for US passport holders
VISA ON ARRIVAL FOR US CITIZENS
Let’s talk about the visa on arrival first. As the name suggests, visa on arrival (VOA) is when you’re allowed to process your visa application on the country you are going to instead of applying for a visa before your arrival. That’s pretty convenient, right? Now, let’s have a look at the list of the countries that are permitting US citizens to opt for a VOA below:
- Azerbaijan – 30 days, $25 – read our Azerbaijan visa post or apply here
- Bahrain – 14 days, $79 – check here
- Bangladesh – 30 days
- Bolivia – 90 days
- Burkina Faso – 30 days
- Cambodia – 30 days, $36 – apply here or read our Cambodia visa guide
- Cape Verde – 30 days
- Comoros – 45 day, $30
- Egypt – 30 days, $25 – $60 – check the prices
- Ethiopia – 90 days, $52 – $72 – apply here
- Gabon – 6 months
- Guinea Bissau – 90 days
- Jordan – 30 days, $118 – more information here
- Kenya – 90 days, $53 – check prices
- Kuwait – 90 days – read more details or get your visa now
- Laos – 30 days, $54.34 – apply here or read about Laos visa
- Lebanon – 30 days
- Madagascar – 90 days
- Malawi – 30 – 60 days, $80 – find more information
- Maldives – 30 days
- Mauritania
- Mozambique – 30 days
- Nepal – 90 days
- Papua New Guinea – 60 days, $50, read more details
- Paraguay – 90 days
- Rwanda – 30 days, $30 – apply here
- Saudi Arabia – 90 days, $125 – check prices
- Seychelles – 90 days
- Sierra Leone
- Solomon Islands – 90 days
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka – 30 days
- Suriname – 90 days, $54, apply here
- Tanzania – 90 days, $50 – $100 – read more details
- Togo – 7 days
- Tonga – 31 days
- Tuvalu – 30 days
- Uganda – 90 days, $51.50 – find more information
- United Arab Emirates – 30 days
- Zambia – 90 days, $52 – $152 – apply here
- Zimbabwe – 90 days
EVISAS FOR US PASSPORT HOLDERS
Some countries allow VOAs, countries that will require an individual registration to a unique system and countries that will enable eVisa applications. In this section, we’ll share with you the list of countries from around the world that is no longer that you can enter as an American with an eVisa. Let’s check them out below.
- Angola – 90 days
- Australia – 90 days – get your ETA
- Azerbaijan – 30 days, $25 – read our Azerbaijan visa post or apply here
- Bahrain – 14 days, $79 – check here
- Benin – 90 days, $60 – $115 – read more information
- Cambodia – 30 days, $36 – apply here or read our Cambodia visa guide
- Côte d’Ivoire – 90 days, $84 – check for more details or here’s our visa guide
- Djibouti – 31 days, $12 – $23 – apply here or read our visa guide for Djibouti
- Egypt – 30 days, $25 – $60 – here’s our Egypt visa guide or you can apply here
- Ethiopia – 90 days, $52 – $72 – check prices
- Gabon – 6 months – apply now
- Guinea Bissau – 90 days
- India – 60 days, $26 – $82 – apply for an evisa now or read our guide
- Kenya – 90 days, $53 – check prices
- Kuwait – 90 days, read our Kuwait visa guide or apply here
- Laos – 30 days, $54.34 – you can apply now or read this Laos visa guide
- Madagascar – 90 days – get your landing permit now or read this guide
- Myanmar – 28 days, $50 – read this Myanmar visa guide or apply for an evisa
- Oman – 30 days, $130 – check for options
- Papua New Guinea – 60 days, $50 – read our guide on applying for Papua New Guinea visa or apply right now
- Rwanda – 30 days, $30 – apply here
- Saudi Arabia – 90 days, $125 – check prices
- Sri Lanka – 30 days – apply for evisa now
- Suriname – 90 days, $125 – read more details
- Tajikistan – 45 days, $52 – how to apply
- Tanzania – 90 days, $50 – $100 – apply for an evisa
- Turkey – 90 days, $20.70 – read our Turkey evisa guide or check the process now
- Uganda – 90 days, $51.50 – apply here
- Uzbekistan – 30 days, $22 – $54 – check the prices
- Vietnam – 30 days, $25 – here’s our Vietnam visa guide or you can also apply now
- Zambia – 90 days, $52 – $152 – check for more details
- Zimbabwe – 90 days
VISA REQUIRED TO APPLY AT THE EMBASSY
Last but not least, we’ll talk about the countries that require a visa for US citizens, but must get them through the embassy. Check them out below:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Bhutan
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Chad
- China
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Eritrea
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Iran
- Iraq
- Liberia
- Libya
- Mali
- Nauru
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Russia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela
- Yemen
EUROPEAN TRAVEL INFORMATION AND AUTHORITY SYSTEM / ETIAS starting 2021
Since we’re talking about countries that require visa for US citizens, I think it only makes sense to include this upcoming change when travelling to Europe: Starting in 2021, many European countries will require tourists from over 60 countries including the United States of America to register to the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which is a system similar to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization of the US.
If you think that this will be a lot of hassle, it’s not because the registration process can be done online for a minimal price of just about $8, so it is going to be a convenient process. The good thing is that one registration is good for up to 3 years, so you don’t need to register again if you plan on are travelling to European countries multiple times in a year.
ALSO READ:
- British passport visa free countries
- Visa guide for Australians
- Where can Canadian go with their passport
- Visa-free countries for New Zealand
- German citizen’s visa guide
When it comes to visa, things are bound to change, which is why I would recommend checking with the website of the country you are going to visit just to be sure of the most updated info, as some countries may suddenly decide to increase or decrease the number of days you can stay, or even lift the need for a visa altogether.
So, checking the country’s website is the best way to be sure that you have the most up to date information about the country you are going to visit.
And that’s a wrap for me. Remember always to consult the website of the country that you are going to visit, or consult the embassy directly before anything else. If there is anything that you’d like to ask or add to the information above, feel free to leave a comment below.
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