12

I have a question about the new changes to entering the US due to Trump's new ban. I am a Swedish citizen but my father is from Iran. I was born in Sweden and only have a Swedish passport. Having a father from Iran means that the ban also applies to me or can I apply for a visa without any concerns?

J Fabian Meier
  • 103
  • 4
Jovi
  • 129
  • 1
  • 3

3 Answers3

17

As of this writing, there has been no travel ban published in the second Trump administration, so any answer so far can only be speculation.

One thing we can do is to look back to the travel ban during the first Trump administration. The first version of the travel ban, Executive Order 13769 issued on January 27, 2017 and quickly blocked by various lawsuits, didn't mention anything specifically about dual nationals. The second version of the travel ban, Executive Order 13780, issued on March 6, 2017, did specifically say that dual nationals of a banned country and a non-banned country were not banned if traveling on the non-banned country's passport. See section 3(b)(iv):

(b) Exceptions. The suspension of entry pursuant to section 2 of this order shall not apply to:

(iv) any dual national of a country designated under section 2 of this order when the individual is traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country;

user102008
  • 23,629
  • 2
  • 49
  • 93
11

By Iranian law, since your father is Iranian, you are entitled to Iranian citizenship.

However, the US is not bound by Iranian law when it comes to visa eligibility. If your birth was never registered in Iran and you have never exercised Iranian citizenship in any form (no passport etc), in practice you are a Swedish citizen only and can travel to the US as such.

lambshaanxy
  • 99,971
  • 45
  • 616
  • 891
1

If you are a Swedish citizen under Swedish law and apply for a visa at the US embassy on your Swedish passport then you should be okay. When they hear about your link to Iran via your father they may ask you to provide proof that you have never served in the Iranian military, I believe entails a visit to the Iranian embassy to obtain some kind of stamp or document to verify this.

It’s possible you won’t be asked to go through this additional step since you were born in Sweden and have never been to Iran (correct me if you have), but I have heard of visa applicants with Iranian heritage being required to jump through this hoop before receiving their visa.

Mysteriouscarot
  • 150
  • 1
  • 7