Are you a US citizen who loves to travel? Have you ever wanted to visit beautiful countries like Russia, Eritrea, and North Korea? No, of course, you haven’t. That would be crazy. But even if you did try to apply for a tourist visa there, you’d most likely be denied.
Here are eight countries with insanely strict rules regarding visitors from America.
1. Saudi Arabia
Thanks to the newly elected Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohamed bin Salman, the county has been rising the ranks, but before 2019, things were different. Getting a visa to Saudi Arabia was nearly impossible for the general public, and the embassy only gave them out to people who wanted to visit Mecca. Aside from that, all US tourists were banned from entering Saudi Arabia. But as stated earlier, the wind of change is blowing in a different direction today.
Today it is possible to get a travel visa to Iran if you’re a US citizen, but it’s a heck of a chore. Ever since America started doing military operations in the Middle East, the United States guests have not been welcome in Iran. If you had a US passport, there was a zero percent chance for you to cross the border. After the US troops left the country, the ban was lifted, but getting a visa is still incredibly hard, and if you do get it, you can’t run amok inside the country and need to get a qualified guide.
3. Turkmenistan
Located in Central Asia and surrounded by ex-USSR countries and Iran, Turkmenistan has had its fair share of bad experiences with tourists. The US visitor ban is probably a remnant of the old Soviet regime. Most of the “stan” countries don’t want your filthy American dollars anyway. But if you absolutely need to get inside, you will need a letter of invitation straight from the Turkmenistani government, which, let’s be real, is not going to happen. It’s a bit easier to get a transit visa, but with that thing, you can only stay inside Turkmenistan for three days.
