🇺🇸 Tourism & short stay

What changed

The United States (U.S.) State Department has updated its travel advice for Panama. Panama still has a 'Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution' status. The 'Unrest' risk warning, which was there before, is now removed from the advice summary. However, the advice still states that large-scale protests may happen without much warning. These protests can stop transport and important services. The specific 'Do Not Travel' warnings remain for the Mosquito Gulf and parts of the Darién Region. These warnings are due to crime. The advice now gives more geographical detail for these high-risk areas.

What changed

The U.S. State Department has updated its travel advice for Paraguay. The overall advice level stays at 'Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions'. This means travellers should take usual safety steps. However, the departments of Alto Paraná, Amambay, Canindeyú, Concepcion, and San Pedro now have a new 'Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution' warning. This is because of more crime risks in these areas. The updated advice also lists specific rules for U.S. government staff. They must get special permission to travel to these high-risk areas. They cannot use local buses. They cannot drive at night between these departments. The summary now shows these changes. It highlights that Paraguay is generally safe, but some areas have higher risks.

What changed

The U.S. State Department changed its Travel Advisory for Mauritania. It still says 'Level 3: Reconsider Travel'. But it added 'limited health infrastructure' as a new risk. The advice now clearly warns about few and poor healthcare facilities. It also states that you must pay for medical services upfront. It warns about medicines being unsafe or hard to find. The overall travel advice level did not change. But some areas that the Mauritanian military has closed are 'Level 4: Do Not Travel'. This is because these areas have extreme danger from security problems and terrorist acts.

What changed

The U.S. State Department tells U.S. citizens not to travel to Syria. This is because of very high risks. These risks include terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, people being taken hostage, crime, and war. The U.S. government cannot give its citizens regular help from an embassy or consulate in Syria.

What changed

This rule makes a temporary rule permanent. It creates a visa bond programme. Consular officers can ask B-1/B-2 visa applicants to pay a bond of up to $20,000. This is a condition to get the visa.

What changed

The U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory summary for Mongolia. The advisory level is still 'Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions'. No risk indicators changed. The change was only to the text. The main change was removing non-breaking space characters ( ) from phrases like 'Smart Traveler Enrollment Program' (STEP), 'Country Security Report', and 'Travel Health Information'. This makes the text look cleaner. This update only applies to the words used in the advice for U.S. travellers going to Mongolia.

What changed

The U.S. State Department still advises people to 'Exercise Increased Caution' (Level 2) when travelling to Kenya. This is because of ongoing risks from crime, terrorism, and unrest. The travel advisory's main points were updated. An 'other' risk indicator was added. Specific areas have a 'Do Not Travel' (Level 4) warning. These include Nairobi neighborhoods Eastleigh and Kibera. They also include Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Lamu, and Tana River (but not Tsavo National Park). Kilifi (north of highway C103) and coastal areas north of Malindi also have this warning. This is due to kidnapping and terrorism. West Pokot County and western Turkana County are 'Do Not Travel' areas due to crime. Marsabit and Turkana Counties are 'Do Not Travel' areas if they are within 30 miles of the Ethiopian border. This is due to unrest.

What changed

The U.S. State Department updated its Travel Advisory for Laos. The overall travel warning stays at 'Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution'. This is because of crime, unrest, and unexploded ordnances. The advisory keeps 'Increased Risk Areas' for Xaisomboun Province and other regions. These areas have warnings about civil unrest, crime, and unexploded ordnances. It also warns against Special Economic Zones. The only small change was removing a link to health information for New Caledonia. This link was not related to Laos.

What changed

The U.S. State Department tells U.S. citizens to be more careful when travelling to Belgium. This advice is called a 'Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution' travel advisory. The overall level of advice has not changed. But, the summary now clearly adds 'crime' and 'unrest' as specific reasons for caution. The advice lists risks like common small crimes, possible violence from terrorists, and large protests. These protests could stop transport and services.

What changed

The U.S. State Department changed its travel advice for the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The travel advice level stays at 'Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions'. This means it is generally a safe place for people to travel. The advice level and risk signs did not change. The summary of the advice was changed. It tells U.S. citizens to join the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). It also tells them to think about getting travel insurance.