The American passport may be one of the most powerful in the world, as measured by the number of countries its bearers can visit visa-free, but that’s not to say U.S. citizens enjoy unrestricted access worldwide (even in some of their favorite destinations).
While there’s a trend towards easing rules as opposed to tightening them, as seen in Vietnam, which has increased its eVisa length to 3 months, or Türkiye, which scrapped visa requirements for Americans altogether, other parts of the world are in fact introducing more requirements.
That is the case with these 3 hugely-popular tourism hotspots Americans love, and starting from 2025, they won’t be allowed to enter unless applying for a permit in advance:
Brazil
Following a series of delays and even discussions as to whether it would be brought back at all, it looks as if Brazil is indeed returning to its pre-2019 visa rules. This means all Americans will require a valid entry visa if they wish to board Brazil-bound flights.
Historically, Brazil has adopted a reciprocity approach to visa issuing. As the U.S. and Brazil have failed to sign a visa waiver agreement, the latter’s Government is doubling back on its decision to continue allowing Americans to enter hassle-free while Brazilians are hit with visa restrictions.
As the U.S. Embassy in Brazil reports, the official date of the visa policy coming into effect is April 10th, 2025, but the good news is, ‘qualified applicants’ will be eligible for an easier-to-apply eVisa––according to CNN, this may include tourism applications and cruise travel.
In other words, unless you’re visiting Brazil for business or other purposes, you can get an eVisa online to the tune of $80.90––the same fee applied to visa applicants from Brazil traveling to America; relatively pricey, yes, but at least it’s valid for a whole 10 years following issuance.
During your application, you’ll be required to provide information on where you live in the United States, inform the Brazilian Government of the purpose of your trip, provide your temporary address in Brazil, and present return tickets and proof of income.
As for the latter, CNN reports that either earnings or savings of at least $2,000 will be the threshold––if you fail to present proof of financial resources, you may still be eligible for a visa, but a Brazilian sponsor or resident must meet the requirement instead.
Schengen Europe
If you’re baffled at Brazil’s decision to slap stricter visa requirements on Americans, wait for this one, as it’s been stirring quite the controversy for a (much longer) while now:
Starting in the first half of 2025, all European countries that are signatories to the Schengen Agreement will start denying entry to Americans who have not obtained an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETIAS) ahead of flying.
For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, Schengen is a customs union in Europe where customary identity checks are not carried out: flying from France to Italy, then from Italy to Croatia, from Croatia to Germany, and onward to Spain typically requires no border check.
You only go through customs at your first point of entry–in this case, France–and all other travel carried out within the Schengen space is treated as if it’s domestic.
Americans are only allowed to stay in Schengen, a zone comprising 30 European countries as of 2024, for 90 days out of any 180-day period, with calculation being left at the discretion of border officers, often based on visual observation of entry and exit stamps.
This applies to all non-Europeans who are currently visa-exempt, not just Americans, and lucky for those on a tighter budget, ETIAS applications will be fully processed online, most within seconds to minutes of submitting, and cost only 7 euros (around $7.60).
That being said, the European Union informs some applications may take up to 4, or even 14 days to process if additional information is required from applicants, or even a whole month if they are invited to an interview, but once again, most Americans will be getting instant approval.
An ETIAS is valid for three years or until the travel document used in your application expires.
Full List Of Countries Where ETIAS Will Be Required From 2025:
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Belgium
- Czechia
- Croatia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
United Kingdom
Lastly, Americans who are visiting the United Kingdom from 2025 are advised not to skip the following section:
Similarly to Schengen Europe, Britain is introducing a travel authorization system (ETA) that will apply to all visa-exempt foreigners who can currently fly into the country hassle-free, including U.S. passport holders.
This is part of the country’s plan to fully digitalize its borders by 2025, as reported by the Home Office, as well as increase security by pre-screening travelers ahead of landing in U.K. soil.
The measure already applies to citizens of 7 nations, mostly in the Middle East, but ‘more countries will be included in the future’, as the ETA expands––the only ones exempt from applying from an ETA in the future are Irish citizens, who enjoy freedom of movement in Britain.
Regarding the ETA itself, the application is pretty straightforward: once the requirement comes into force for Americans, you must register with the official platform, provide your personal details and information relating to your travel plans, and pay the £10 fee (around $12.84).
Once approved––and this may take up to 3 working days as noted on the Home Office’s website––an ETA will remain valid for up to 2 years, allowing for unlimited trips to the United Kingdom while it remains in validity.
For each trip, your length of stay cannot exceed 180 continuous days.
The ETA is valid for travel to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, all four of which are constituent parts of the United Kingdom––additionally, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, autonomous territories that are under the sovereignty of the British Crown.
At this point, the U.K. Government has not yet provided an exact date for the worldwide launch of its ETA system, but it is expected to be rolled out in phases in the coming year.
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