Every few weeks the phrase "US travel ban" returns to Indian group chats, usually attached to a screenshot with no list. Here is the list's shape: Presidential Proclamation 10998 restricts nationals of 39 countries, it has been in force since 1 January 2026, and India is not on it.
In this guide2 sections
What the proclamation actually does#
The US Mission India summarises it: "Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 10998 on Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 1, 2026, the United States is suspending or limiting entry and visa issuance to nationals of 39 countries as well as individuals applying using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority."
The mechanism matters for anyone helping a friend on another passport: covered applicants "may still submit visa applications and attend scheduled interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission." Booking is not blocked; issuance is.
A separate line on the same page notes that the Department "has paused all visa issuances to diversity immigrant visa applicants." India has long been outside the diversity lottery, so this changes nothing for an Indian applicant either.
What does affect Indian applicants#
The ordinary things, which is the point worth repeating whenever a ban rumour circulates. Queue length in the four big cities, the $185 MRV fee at ₹98 to the dollar, purpose of travel at the counter, and the country-of-residence rule that ended third-country interview shopping — see why booking Dubai or Bangkok backfires. What actually leads to refusals is covered in 214(b) and 221(g), and the fee side in US visa fees from India.
If someone tells you India has been added to a restriction list, the test is simple: the Mission publishes these notices on its own visa page. If it is not there, it did not happen.
VisaGyan is an independent journal, not affiliated with the US government. Policies change; check travel.state.gov and the Mission's page before you rely on this.
Frequently asked questions
- Is India affected by the US travel ban?
- No. Presidential Proclamation 10998, in effect since 12:01 a.m. EST on 1 January 2026, suspends or limits entry and visa issuance for nationals of 39 countries and for people using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority. India is not among those countries, and an Indian passport holder applies under the normal rules.
- What happens to applicants who are covered by the proclamation?
- The US Mission India states that applicants subject to Proclamation 10998 "may still submit visa applications and attend scheduled interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States". The restriction bites at issuance, not at booking.
- Does the diversity visa pause affect Indians?
- Not in practice. The State Department has paused all diversity immigrant visa issuance, but India has been excluded from the diversity visa lottery for years because of high immigration volumes, so Indian nationals were not applicants in that programme anyway.