Effective March 13, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation suspending entry into the United States for immigrants and nonimmigrants who were physically present in certain European countries during the 14-day period prior to their entry or attempted entry into the United States. Affected countries include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Effective March 16, 2020, President Trump added the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland to the list of affected countries. As of February 2, 2020, President Trump had already suspended entry into the United States for immigrants and nonimmigrants who had been physically present within the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Certain narrow exceptions apply to the travel suspension.
The purpose of the travel suspension is to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which has a high growth in infection rates in the named countries. It is unclear when the travel suspension will be lifted or if it will be extended to additional countries.
As a result of the uncertainty and health concerns brought on by the virus, consular posts have begun alerting applicants of reduced or temporarily suspended visa services. The Department of State is working to keep stakeholders apprised of ongoing changes related to visa services impacted by COVID-19.
Country-specific information can be found by clicking here.