If you are considering Dominica citizenship and travel to the United States matters to you, read this article carefully. Since 1 January 2026 the United States has suspended the entry of Dominica nationals on several common visa types. The information in this article comes from the official text of the presidential proclamation on the White House website, checked on 24 October 2026.
The proclamation at a glance
| Topic | What the official text says |
|---|---|
| Title | Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States |
| Signed | 16 December 2025 |
| Effective | 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, 1 January 2026 |
| Dominica's position | partial restriction, Section 5(e) |
| Reason given for Dominica | "Dominica has historically had CBI without residency" |
| Vanuatu's position | not named in the proclamation |
What is suspended for Dominica?
Under Section 5(e):
- the entry of Dominica nationals as immigrants (immigrant visas) is suspended;
- non-immigrant entry on B-1 (business), B-2 (tourism), B-1/B-2, F (study), M (vocational training) and J (exchange) visas is suspended;
- consular officers shall reduce the validity of any other non-immigrant visa issued to Dominica nationals, to the extent permitted by law.
| Visa type | Position for a Dominica national from 1 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Immigrant | suspended |
| B-1, B-2 and B-1/B-2 | suspended |
| F, M and J | suspended |
| Other non-immigrant visas | not suspended, but shorter validity |
What does "shorter validity" mean?
The proclamation does not bar other non-immigrant visas for Dominica nationals, for example work visas that are not in the suspended list. But it asks consular officers to shorten their validity as far as the law allows. In practice, a visa issued to others for several years may be issued for a shorter period to a Dominica national, and renewal may be needed sooner.
Background
In Sections 2 and 3, the December 2025 text "continues" the restrictions of an earlier proclamation for some countries, and in Sections 4 and 5 it adds new countries. Dominica is in Section 5, among the new partial restrictions. The same text lifts Turkmenistan's non-immigrant restriction but keeps its immigrant restriction; in other words, these lists change over time.
Other countries
The proclamation restricts some countries fully and others partially. Among Caribbean and Pacific countries, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Tonga are in the new partial list. Iran is in the full list. Vanuatu, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Grenada do not appear in the text we read.
Exceptions
Section 6(b) excludes these groups from the restriction, among others:
- lawful permanent residents of the United States (green card holders);
- dual nationals travelling on the passport of a country the proclamation does not name;
- holders of certain diplomatic and international organisation visas (A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1 to G-4, NATO-1 to NATO-6);
- athletes, coaches and necessary support staff for the World Cup, the Olympics or other major sporting events;
- certain special immigrant visas for US Government employees.
The proclamation also says:
- the restriction applies only to people who were outside the United States on the effective date and had no valid visa (Section 6(a));
- visas issued before the effective date are not revoked under the proclamation (Section 8(c));
- the responsible officials may grant case-by-case exceptions (Sections 6(d) to (f));
- family-based immigrant visas are no longer a broad categorical exception.
Examples
| Person | Position under the text of the proclamation |
|---|---|
| A Dominica citizen by investment who holds only a Dominica passport and wants a US tourist visa | B-2 is suspended for Dominica nationals |
| The same person who also holds a valid passport of a country not named | the dual-national exception applies to travel on that country's passport; issuing a visa remains for the consulate |
| An Iranian national who has also obtained Dominica citizenship | both countries are named; the dual-national exception does not help with these two passports |
| A Dominica national with a B-2 visa issued before 1 January 2026 | the proclamation does not revoke that visa; entry remains for US border officials |
| A US green card holder who has also become a Dominica citizen | the lawful permanent resident exception |
| A Vanuatu national | not named in this proclamation; a US visa is still needed |
These examples only help to understand the text and are not immigration advice. Which rule applies to each person is for the US authorities to decide.
Visa bonds
According to the search index of the US State Department's website, Dominica is also on the list of countries subject to "visa bonds", with an announced start on 21 January 2026. We could not read that page directly; ask the US State Department for the details and the amount.
What this means for choosing a programme
- If travel to the United States is your main goal, the Dominica passport does not meet that need today.
- If your main goal is visa-free travel to Schengen, Dominica still has the EU short-stay visa waiver; see the article "Travelling on a Dominica passport: visa-free countries and visa countries".
- Vanuatu is not named in this proclamation, but its passport needs a visa for Schengen; the article "Dominica or Vanuatu? Comparing two citizenship programmes" compares the two.
- If you hold a valid US visa on another country's passport, Dominica citizenship does not cancel it; but for a new visa application, which passport you apply with matters.
Sources
- The White House, proclamation "Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States" (16 December 2025) — https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/ (checked on 24 October 2026)
- US Department of State, countries subject to visa bonds — https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/countries-subject-to-visa-bonds.html (via the search index; the page refused automated access; checked on 24 October 2026)
- US Federal Register, publication of the same proclamation (19 December 2025) — https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/19/2025-23570/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states (via the search index; checked on 24 October 2026)