Mar 15 2025
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Trump Administration Wants To Ban Citizens Of BHUTAN From Entering United States?!

By Leila

Paro Taktsang on a cliff

The Trump Administration is considering an outright ban of citizens from 11 countries entering the United States and among the many usual suspects is a very odd outlier…Bhutan?!

Trump Administration Considers Bhutan Travel Ban

Last year I wrote about my trip to the magical kingdom of Bhutan…one of the best trips I have ever taken. Bhutan is consistently ranked as one of the world’s “happiest” countries. Landlocked between China and India, the Asian nation of less than one million citizens enjoys political tranquility, universal healthcare and education, and pristine natural resources.

Yet Bhutan finds itself on a list of 10 nations under consideration by the Trump Administration for an outright travel ban, meaning citizens of Bhutan would not be allowed to travel to the USA under any circumstance. That list includes:

  • Afghanistan
  • Bhutan
  • Cuba
  • Iran
  • Libya
  • North Korea
  • Somalia
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Venezuela
  • Yemen

I’m not into blanket bans, but I somewhat understand why 10/11 countries are on the list…Bhutan, however, I do not understand. Could it be a visa reciprocity thing, like tariff reciprocity? (Bhutan charges $100 per person per day, plus a one-time visa application fee of $40 for US citizens)

More Travel Restrictions Under Consideration

Beyond the “red” category above, two other categories of travel restrictions are under consideration, including an “orange” category that would still allow certain tourist visa but ban immigrant and tourist visas. Those countries include:

  • Belarus
  • Eritrea
  • Haiti
  • Laos
  • Myanmar
  • Pakistan
  • Russia
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Sudan
  • Turkmenistan

A third “yellow” category of 22 countries would be given 60 days to clean up perceived “deficiencies” or face being moved into the orange or red categories:

  • Angola
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Benin
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Chad
  • Republic of Congo
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Dominica
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Gambia
  • Liberia
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • St. Lucia
  • São Tomé and Príncipe
  • Vanuatu
  • Zimbabwe

The list was shared with the New York Times but has not received final review from Secretary of State Marco Rubio or other top officials.

Bhutan Is A Lovely Country

I’m not sure many Bhutanese citizens have a desire to come to the USA or could afford it, but I cannot miss this opportunity to draw you back to my trip report and point out what a wonderful trip I had to Bhutan:

CONCLUSION

President Trump imposed narrower restrictions during his first term, justifying such travel bans on the basis of the pandemic. These more wide-reaching bans are not yet in effect, but under consideration…and you just have to wonder what is underlying them.

Any foreign visitor to the USA must undergo some level of background check and all visitors from developing countries who want a visa to the USA must undergo extensive checks. Is that not enough?

Mark this story as developing.

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