With the Trump administration recently expanding its travel ban to 39 countries and suspending visa processing for 75 in total, many countries have responded with travel and visa bans for Americans.
The African nations of Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have all stopped issuing visas to Americans in what they describe as a reciprocal move, over the treatment of their citizens.
At the beginning of the month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Mali issued a statement saying that the citizens of the United States will now also be subject to the “same conditions and requirements as those imposed by the American authorities on the citizens of Mali entering the United States”.
The South Asian nation of Pakistan was included in the list of nations for which the US State Department will suspend the processing of all immigrant visas as of January 21st.
Although the move is not immediately linked to the actions of the Trump administration, Pakistan, for its part, is making it more difficult for Americans to visit by suspending its “visa before arrival” program, Visas News reported. The program allowed citizens of 125 countries to apply for a permit to enter easily online.
From August 2024, citizens of countries such as the United States, Canada and most European and Asian nations can apply for a free 90-day tourist or business visa by submitting their passport information and travel details through a government portal.
Related: Country reintroduces travel restrictions for Americans and Britons
Travelers looking to come to the country were the first to notice that the “Pak ID” mobile application now directs applicants to select a traditional visa category for which they must pay $35 USD for a single entry to three months (the previous visa allowed for multiple entries) and will take up to seven business days to process.
Citizens of the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom must pay a higher fee of $60 for non-extended reasons. The Pakistani government has not released an official statement about the change or provided any information on whether the streamlined application will ever be brought back.
In August 2024, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif classified “this reduction of the visa regime [as a way to] help make Pakistan an attractive destination for investments and tourism.”
The country sees far less tourist interest than neighboring India and over the last half decade has made several efforts to attract international visitors.