Monrovia — Liberia has been exempted from U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s latest visa ban, which targets countries deemed security risks to the United States under a new executive order issued in January 2025.
The controversial action, part of Executive Order 14161 titled “Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” affects 12 countries, banning their citizens from obtaining U.S. visas. Notably, Liberia, previously placed on a State Department watch list in March, was spared from the final ban.
Countries facing full visa bans include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Citizens of those countries will be denied entry to the United States unless specific exemptions apply, according to the State Department.
Seven additional countries–Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela–face partial entry restrictions.
The ban takes effect on Monday, June 9, 2025.
Why Was Liberia Exempted?
Liberia’s removal from the U.S. visa restriction list marks a notable shift from its earlier classification on the State Department’s “Yellow List”–a designation for countries flagged for security and document integrity issues. Diplomatic sources say the exemption reflects improvements in passport issuance processes and broader institutional reforms at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti and her team have been credited with restoring public confidence and ensuring passport services operate under stricter controls. Regular passports are now issued within a standard seven-day period, and payments are processed exclusively through the International Bank of Liberia, reducing the risk of fraud and eliminating the informal network of middlemen previously seen on ministry premises.
The Ministry has also cracked down on the illicit issuance of diplomatic passports–an issue that previously exposed Liberia to international criticism.
A Scandalous Past
Liberia’s earlier inclusion on the Yellow List stemmed in part from a widely publicized diplomatic passport scandal under former President George Weah’s administration. Investigations revealed that diplomatic passports–reserved for government officials and foreign service personnel–were being sold to individuals with criminal records, including Sheik Bassirou Kante, who had alleged ties to then-President Weah and Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor.
Andrew Wonplo, the former Director of the Passport Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was accused of facilitating the illegal sale of passports. Although Wonplo was acquitted by a Liberian court, the U.S. government deemed him complicit and barred him and his immediate family from entering the United States.
At the time, Gbehzohngar Milton Findley, now Grand Bassa County Senator, served as Foreign Minister.
A New Era of Accountability
Liberia’s exemption is being interpreted as recognition of recent efforts to repair the country’s diplomatic credibility. Minister Nyanti’s reforms have been praised both at home and abroad for restoring order to a system that had become synonymous with corruption and inefficiency.
In addition to its exemption from the U.S. visa ban, Liberia was also recently elected to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, winning 181 votes in an uncontested race. The country will serve from 2026 to 2027, alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, representing Africa on the Council.
