Americas Visa and Travel News
After several days of service disruptions, Cuba has announced a new website for electronic visa applications. Available through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ consular portal, the platform now offers three visa categories. VisasNews tested the new application process.
The United States is moving ahead with its new mandatory health declaration, which takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 3, 2026. Introduced in response to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the requirement applies to all international air passengers, including those who have never traveled to Africa.
Cuba’s official electronic visa application portal remains inaccessible as of November 3, 2026, despite being scheduled to reopen on November 2. Cuban authorities are replacing the existing system with a new platform that is expected to support additional visa categories.
With just days to go before a new mandatory health declaration takes effect for all air travelers heading to the United States, major airline industry groups are urging U.S. authorities to reconsider how the requirement will be implemented.
All passengers flying to the United States will soon be required to complete a health declaration confirming that they have not visited or transited through the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the previous 21 days. The requirement, which takes effect on November 3, 2026, will apply to travelers of all nationalities, regardless of where their journey begins.
The Trump administration says it has revoked more than 300,000 U.S. visas since January 2025. In a report released on October 20, 2026, the White House provided details on several categories of visa revocations, including those involving international students and so-called birth tourism.
Since September 10, 2026, foreign tourists arriving in Panama by air have automatically received free medical insurance for the first 10 days of their stay. Funded by the Panamanian government, coverage is activated upon immigration clearance at six airports across the country, with no registration or advance payment required.
Travelers entering the United States will soon no longer receive a passport stamp as a matter of course. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says it is ending the routine use of admission stamps during primary inspection. Proof of admission and the authorized length of stay will instead be available primarily in electronic form through the I-94 record.
Since October 1, 2026, travelers entering or leaving Haiti have been required to complete the electronic iKat form. The digital form must be submitted within the three days before travel and applies to both Haitian nationals and foreign travelers, whether they are traveling by air, land, or sea.
Visa-exempt travelers heading to the United States will soon pay slightly more for their electronic travel authorization. Starting October 16, 2026, the ESTA fee will rise from $40.27 to $40.62 as part of a new annual inflation adjustment.
Although the number of visitor visas processed by the United States has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels, wait times for visa interviews at US consulates remain significantly longer than they were in 2019. A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report also highlights major differences between countries and consular posts.
The US State Department has launched a new portal allowing members of the public to directly report suspected fraud or misuse involving US visas. Tips can be submitted anonymously and may be used to open or support an investigation.
Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, their legacy can still be seen in the travel requirements imposed on visitors to the United States. Tighter visa screening, biometrics, electronic passports and eventually ESTA: within just a few years, Washington fundamentally changed the way foreign travelers are screened before entering the country. And that process is still evolving today.
The European Union is moving toward a new security agreement with the United States aimed at allowing its member states to remain part of the US Visa Waiver Program. At the center of the talks are expanded information-sharing requirements involving certain travelers, including biometric data, alongside European safeguards governing how that information can be used.
Donald Trump and several US travel industry executives met at the White House on September 2, 2026, to discuss ways to boost international arrivals to the United States. While the administration is highlighting shorter visa wait times and measures designed to make travel easier, industry leaders are warning in particular about the deterrent effect of the visa bond program imposed on nationals of certain countries.
