Uganda has been named among 36 countries facing potential visa restrictions under a sweeping expanded travel policy announced by the U.S. State Department.
The directive, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, gives the listed countries a 60-day window to comply with new immigration and visa-related requirements or risk facing travel bans and other restrictions.
The U.S. cites growing concerns over Uganda’s visa issuance processes and the rising number of Ugandan nationals who overstay their visas while in the United States.
In addition to Uganda, 24 other African nations are also on the list, including Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Cameroon.
The new policy also targets several Caribbean countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. From Asia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, and Syria are affected, along with Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu in Oceania.
This move comes just months after the U.S. Embassy in Kampala issued a stern warning to Ugandan visa applicants about the use of fraudulent documents.
At the time, the embassy warned that submitting false paperwork was considered a serious offense with long-term consequences.
“If you submit fake documents with your U.S. visa application, you are committing fraud and risking your future,” the U.S. Embassy stated.
The travel policy marks the latest in a string of punitive measures the United States has taken against Uganda.
In December 2023, Uganda was expelled from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a trade initiative that previously granted the country duty-free access to the U.S. market.
That decision followed widespread condemnation of Uganda’s human rights record, particularly after the enactment of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act.
More recently, in May 2025, Washington announced targeted travel sanctions against five senior Ugandan officials.
Among them was the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, former Deputy Chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, Gen Peter Elwelu, who was sanctioned over allegations of extrajudicial killings linked to Ugandan military operations.
As diplomatic tensions continue to mount, Uganda now faces a critical 60-day deadline to address U.S. concerns or risk deeper isolation on the global stage.
