The US Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 disqualifies anybody who has traveled to Syria since 2011 from being eligible for ESTA. However, on 14 May 2025, Trump announced that sanctions on Syria will be lifted.
When will I be able to visit Syria without disqualifying myself from US ESTA?
Visiting Syria is specifically listed as disqualifying for the VWP in the text of the relevant law. So it would likely take another act of Congress to reverse this, not just a presidential decision. Iraq and Syria appear to be special in this regard -- the other banned countries are banned because they are on certain lists that can be edited by the executive branch without Congressional involvement.
