Several European countries and Canada have alerted their citizens about tightened restrictions for travellers entering the United States, warning they risk arrest if caught breaching new requirements under President Donald Trump.
Issued on: 26/03/2025 - 07:33
2 min
Among the measures, travellers who have changed sex or identified themselves as non-binary with an X on their passports could face detention or expulsion under the White House's policy of recognising only two sexes, sealed by a White House decree on 20 January.
The policy of what is officially called "restoring biological truth" will limit applicants of US passports to register with their "biological sex at birth, male 'M' or female “'F.'”
The measure reverses a decision taken by the Biden administration in April 2022 to make an "X gender" marker available for US passports.
According to the State Department, "All passports - including those with an X marker or those listing a sex different from your sex at birth - will remain valid for travel until their expiration date."
But the new regulation caused disbelief and uproar among the US and global trans-community, and led to uncertainty abroad as to who would risk being detained, questioned and/or sent back upon arrival in US territory.
Here is a round-up of the new advice issued by some EU countries in rare updates to their US travel guidance.
France: seek advice
France's foreign ministry published updated its guidance on Tuesday, urging travellers to monitor advisories by the US embassy and ask their airlines about changes to entry requirements.
For US visas and visa-waiver certificates, it told them to "note that a section has been added that requires you to indicate your sex at birth" under the January decree.
Germany: follow immigration rules
Germany issued new guidance after US immigration authorities detained several of its nationals trying to enter the United States.
"A criminal record in the United States, false statements on the reason for visiting, or exceeding even slightly the permitted length of stay can lead to arrest, detention and expulsion when entering or leaving the country," it said.
It also advised travellers whose gender is marked as X, or who have a different sex on their passport from that assigned at birth, to contact US authorities in Germany before travelling.
Britain: arrest warning
Britain's Foreign Office recently updated its US-bound travel advice to read: "The authorities in the US set and enforce entry rules strictly. You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules."
The warning followed reports that a British tourist had been detained at the US-Canada border.
Denmark, Finland: gender issue
Denmark's foreign ministry explicitly warned travellers in an update on March 21 that trans or binary travellers risked difficulties when travelling to the United States.
"If you have given X as your gender on your passport or if you have changed sex, you are recommended to contact the US embassy before travelling to confirm what rules apply," the ministry told AFP.
Finland warned travellers that they could see their visa or travel request refused if the sexual designation on their passport did not match their sex at birth.
(With newswires)