This is the home of the Country Friendly Quick List for Americans traveling abroad. For tourists of all nationalities, there is a link to the official tourism website (or selected alternative if no official site is available) for most countries and the USA. In addition to recognized countries, the list also includes US Territories, Antarctica (entrance controlled by International Treaty), and so called unrecognized countries with established border controls over their territory.
While the definition of a travel friendly country is broad & subjective, this list uses only one criteria to be a travel friendly country. If the government of the country imposes no visa formalities beyond obtaining a visa on arrival or an advance electronic visa / travel authority, it's considered travel friendly and will appear in this list.
Countries that do not require visas or provide visas on arrival will be listed in green. If a country requires an advance electronic visa or travel authority, it will be listed in Orange with a click enabled E-Visa link to the appropriate application webpage. Private companies that offer express visa services (e.g. Brazil & Vietnam) do not count as an e-visa country and countries that require any kind of paper submission in addition to the electronic application will not be designated as travel friendly. If a country offers both visa's on arrival or e-visas, the country will still be listed in green.
Countries that do not meet the travel friendly definition are considered travel 'unfriendly', and you must obtain a visa in advance from the appropriate Embassy of that country; see the red color list at the bottom of the page along with a indexed link of Embassies in the United States.
Please note that this information is only valid for American citizen tourists using standard passports (not official or diplomatic passport holders) and the purpose of your visit must specifically be for tourism, not business, employment, or other purposes. Also, note the length of stay limitations and if you intend to stay longer, you may have to obtain a visa or other form of approval prior to travel.
While every attempt is made to keep the list current and accurate as possible, the author is not responsible for errors or omissions. Corrections and suggestions are most welcome; just click: Tweet Me
Countryfriendly.com is a non-commercial, not for profit information site.
When traveling to countries that issue a visa on arrival, there is the potential for long delays during immigration processing in order to process the visa. Countries that impose extraordinary administrative requirements outside of standard requirements such as having a valid passport, photos for the visa, and onward/return tickets will not be listed as friendly. For example, some countries may issue a visa on arrival if you have an official letter of invitation, but that is considered an extraordinary exception.
Some countries listed may accept less than a US passport (e.g. birth certificate, drivers license) or an expired passport, however all U.S. citizens are now required to present a passport book, passport card, or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative compliant document when returning to the United States; see http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
For most countries, the official tourism website is posted provided. If the country has no official tourism site or it's not reliable, I'll provide WikiTravel links - feel free to send me suggestions & corrections.
Albania: No visa required but 10 Euro entry tax fee. Maximum stay of 30 days. Wikitravel
Armenia: Visa on arrival but only if arriving at Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan. Fee is 50 USD for a maximum stay of 120 days E-Visa available and recommended. www.armeniainfo.am
Azerbaijan: Visa on arrival with 131 USD fee and passport photos with visa form application. Maximum stay of 30 days and only for cities listed in visa. azerbaijan.tourism.az
Cambodia: If arriving at international airports, visa on arrival with 20 USD fee and passport photo. E-Visa available and recommended. Maximum stay of 1 month. www.tourismcambodia.com
Chile: Maximum stay of 90 days. The government of Chile charges a so called $131.00 reciprocity fee to American tourists on arrival and it must be paid in cash. This is a one time fee that covers all visits until the expiration of the travelers passport. When the passport is replaced due to expiration, the fee must be paid again on the new passport. www.visit-chile.org
Camoro Islands: Visa on arrival at Immigration Office downtown - fee varies depending on length of stay. WikiTravel
Cuba: Visa not required however tourist card must be purchased at airline or travel agency for 25 USD prior to travel. Please note that the US government has in the most unfriendly manner, restricted most forms of tourist travel to Cuba by American citizens. While tourist travel to Cuba is possible via other countries such as Canada, such travel may result in prosecution or fines by the US government. www.gocuba.ca
Palau: Visa not required for stays of 30 days or less . www.visit-palu.com Panama: Visa not required but tourist card is required for 5 USD. Maximum stay of 30 days. www.visitpanama.com Papua New Guinea: Visa on arrival for 500 PGK (Local Currency) for a maximum stay of 60 days. Must arrive at Jackson International. Airport or Kagamuga Airport. www.pngtourism.org.pg
Timor Leste (East Timor): Visa on arrival for 30 USD. Maximum stay of 30 days. www.turismotimorleste.com Togo: Visa on arrival - fee not specified. Maximum stay of 7 days. wikitravel.org/en/Togo
Tonga: Visa on arrival for no charge. Maximum stay of 31 days. www.tongaholiday.com
This is the list of travel 'unfriendly' countries that require American citizens to obtain visas prior to arrival, issue a visa on arrival only under extraordinary circumstances and/or conditions which make it inadvisable to travel without a visa, or visa requirements cannot be determined:
Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo (ROC), Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea (Republic), Guinea-Bissau, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Korea (North), Laos, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nagorno-Karabakh, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Puntland, Russia, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Somaliland, South Ossetia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
If needing to travel to these countries, please see the following index of embassies in the United States and select the appropriate country:
