Countries Americans Can’t Visit Without Permission
International travel can be complicated if tourists are not prepared. Dealing with foreign languages, customs, and currency can be difficult — though that only becomes a problem if you are able to get into the country. Many nations require tourists…
International travel can be complicated if tourists are not prepared. Dealing with foreign languages, customs, and currency can be difficult — though that only becomes a problem if you are able to get into the country.
Many nations require tourists to have visas to get in. Visas are essentially a stamp of approval from a foreign nation that the holder is legally allowed to enter that country. To issue a visa, countries generally require a passport, photo, and application from visa applicants. Some also charge a fee.
Americans have some of the strongest passports in the world, meaning they can travel to a large number of countries without needing a visa — but this is not the case for every country.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed each country’s visa requirements, as provided by CIBTvisas, to determine the countries Americans need a visa to visit as tourists. These countries were ranked on the number of tourists that visit them each year.
Wealthier countries tend to be more strict about their visas as they want to ensure that visa holders do not overstay their welcome — yet it is not always that simple. Some countries charge a high fee, require photo ID, or demand to know exact dates of travel before they issue a visa. This process can often be complicated by political friction between two countries.
To determine the countries Americans need visas to visit, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed CIBTvisas’ data on which countries require tourists to obtain a visa before they visit for any amount of time. Countries that only require visas for trips that last a certain amount of time were excluded. GDP per capita and population figures come from the International Monetary Fund and are for the most recent available years. International tourism information comes from World Bank for 2017.
Click here to see the countries Americans need a visa to visit.
50. Tuvalu
> Population: 0.01 million
> GDP per capita: $2,892
> Total tourists in 2017: 2,500
49. Chad
> Population: N/A
> GDP per capita: N/A
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.09 million
48. Burkina Faso
> Population: 18.65 million
> GDP per capita: $1,642
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.14 million
47. Gambia
> Population: 2.04 million
> GDP per capita: $2,369
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.16 million
46. Niger
> Population: N/A
> GDP per capita: N/A
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.16 million
45. Mali
> Population: 16.59 million
> GDP per capita: $1,781
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.19 million
44. Republic of Congo
> Population: N/A
> GDP per capita: N/A
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.21 million
43. Madagascar
> Population: 21.08 million
> GDP per capita: $1,390
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.26 million
42. Bhutan
> Population: 0.78 million
> GDP per capita: $7,299
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.26 million
41. Angola
> Population: 26.68 million
> GDP per capita: $6,945
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.26 million
40. Suriname
> Population: 0.58 million
> GDP per capita: $13,481
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.28 million
39. Benin
> Population: 10.84 million
> GDP per capita: $1,992
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.28 million
38. Burundi
> Population: N/A
> GDP per capita: N/A
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.30 million
37. Venezuela
> Population: 28.52 million
> GDP per capita: $16,837
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.43 million
36. Tajikistan
> Population: 8.36 million
> GDP per capita: $2,546
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.43 million
35. Togo
> Population: 7.61 million
> GDP per capita: $1,449
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.50 million
34. Cape Verde
> Population: 0.53 million
> GDP per capita: $6,212
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.67 million
33. Sudan
> Population: 32.66 million
> GDP per capita: $5,230
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.81 million
32. Malawi
> Population: 18.63 million
> GDP per capita: $1,016
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.84 million
31. Ethiopia
> Population: 91.20 million
> GDP per capita: $1,804
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.93 million
30. Nepal
> Population: 28.66 million
> GDP per capita: $2,314
> Total tourists in 2017: 0.94 million
29. Bolivia
> Population: 10.24 million
> GDP per capita: $5,793
> Total tourists in 2017: 1.13 million
28. Tanzania
> Population: 44.93 million
> GDP per capita: $2,363
> Total tourists in 2017: 1.27 million
27. Maldives
> Population: 0.34 million
> GDP per capita: $16,373
> Total tourists in 2017: 1.39 million
26. Uganda
> Population: 36.56 million
> GDP per capita: $2,115
> Total tourists in 2017: 1.40 million
25. Mozambique
> Population: 27.98 million
> GDP per capita: $1,120
> Total tourists in 2017: 1.45 million
24. Paraguay
> Population: 6.95 million
> GDP per capita: $11,621
> Total tourists in 2017: 1.58 million
23. Côte d’Ivoire
> Population: 23.71 million
> GDP per capita: $3,189
> Total tourists in 2017: 1.80 million
22. Lebanon
> Population: 4.43 million
> GDP per capita: $16,729
> Total tourists in 2017: 1.86 million
21. Sri Lanka
> Population: 21.44 million
> GDP per capita: $11,691
> Total tourists in 2017: 2.12 million
20. Qatar
> Population: 2.74 million
> GDP per capita: $112,819
> Total tourists in 2017: 2.26 million
19. Oman
> Population: 4.13 million
> GDP per capita: $41,821
> Total tourists in 2017: 2.37 million
18. Zimbabwe
> Population: 13.06 million
> GDP per capita: $2,082
> Total tourists in 2017: 2.42 million
17. Algeria
> Population: 41.54 million
> GDP per capita: $13,786
> Total tourists in 2017: 2.45 million
16. Azerbaijan
> Population: 9.59 million
> GDP per capita: $16,824
> Total tourists in 2017: 2.45 million
15. Uzbekistan
> Population: 29.99 million
> GDP per capita: $5,109
> Total tourists in 2017: 2.69 million
14. Lao P.D.R.
> Population: 6.59 million
> GDP per capita: $6,371
> Total tourists in 2017: 3.26 million
13. Myanmar
> Population: 51.85 million
> GDP per capita: $5,111
> Total tourists in 2017: 3.44 million
12. Jordan
> Population: 9.16 million
> GDP per capita: $8,490
> Total tourists in 2017: 3.84 million
11. Islamic Republic of Iran
> Population: 81.42 million
> GDP per capita: $18,303
> Total tourists in 2017: 4.87 million
10. Cambodia
> Population: 14.86 million
> GDP per capita: $2,791
> Total tourists in 2017: 5.60 million
9. Brazil
> Population: 206.10 million
> GDP per capita: $14,184
> Total tourists in 2017: 6.59 million
8. Egypt
> Population: 94.80 million
> GDP per capita: $11,541
> Total tourists in 2017: 8.16 million
7. Australia
> Population: 24.77 million
> GDP per capita: $45,802
> Total tourists in 2017: 8.82 million
6. Bahrain
> Population: 1.42 million
> GDP per capita: $43,791
> Total tourists in 2017: 11.37 million
5. Vietnam
> Population: 92.69 million
> GDP per capita: $5,956
> Total tourists in 2017: 12.92 million
4. India
> Population: 1.25 billion
> GDP per capita: $5,190
> Total tourists in 2017: 15.54 million
3. Russia
> Population: 143.99 million
> GDP per capita: $25,353
> Total tourists in 2017: 24.39 million
2. Turkey
> Population: 80.81 million
> GDP per capita: $24,586
> Total tourists in 2017: 37.60 million
1. China
> Population: 1.39 billion
> GDP per capita: $15,175
> Total tourists in 2017: 60.74 million
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Grant Suneson is a senior editor at 24/7 Wall St. He was previously a digital content creator at Newsy and a reporter at NPR member station KBIA, where he contributed to their Edward R. Murrow Award-winning coverage. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism.
Grant’s work has been published and referenced in many major outlets such as MSN, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, Detroit Free Press, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Austin American-Statesman, The Tennessean, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Indianapolis Star, The Clarion-Ledger, WSB-TV, Des Moines Register, Asbury Park Press, KMGH-TV, and many others.
