One of the most common questions we are being asked at the moment, as travellers consider the 2025 spring and autumn seasons, is whether or not it is safe for United States citizens to travel in Afghanistan.

The short answer is that US citizens can obtain a visa for Afghanistan like any other foreign traveller. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, US citizens are charged a $30 USD premium over other nationalities, but the application process for the visa is the same. Similarly, there is no difference in the process for US citizens applying for internal travel permissions and inter-provincial permits, which all foreign tourists are required to obtain on the ground (or we, as a company, can obtain them for you).

The longer answer is that US citizens do receive more attention from the Taliban than other nationalities. This is particularly noticeable at checkpoints, where a US passport, even when hidden among a pile of other foreign passports, is always carefully scrutinised. Younger members of the Taliban are often excited to see a real American. It is important to remember that most junior Talibs may not have heard of many of the countries our guests come from. They may not be able to locate Norway on a map, might have heard of somewhere called China, and even the United Kingdom is often unfamiliar to them. We tend to tell Talibs that British citizens are from a place called London, which often elicits a thoughtful nod.

An American passing by is, therefore, a curiosity—it’s a place they have all heard about, and there is often great excitement at meeting a citizen of this powerful country that brought war to theirs for 20 years. The young Talibs often seem disappointed by our guests from the US, possibly expecting them to look different from other foreigners. The initial excitement at meeting a “real-life Yankee” soon dissipates.

American travellers are also typically on the receiving end of most questions at checkpoints and other stops. The Taliban are often keen to ask Americans about their opinions on security and the Taliban regime. Although these questions are generally innocuous, they can become tiring for weary travellers.

Lastly, it is worth noting that there are a handful of American citizens currently detained in Taliban jails and the regime spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid has said that these prisoners may be held in order to exchange for Afghan prisoners still held in Guantanamo Bay. This is an extremely worrying development for those of us in the tourism sector. The detainees include George Glezmann who is an American tourist arrested in December 2022 - we are unsure if any official charges have been brought against him or what the original circumstances of his arrest were.

We do not recommend that citizens of the United States who are current or former members of the military or those engaged in jobs in the federal government, in the commercial defence and aviation sectors or in other adjacent industries travel to Afghanistan as tourists or otherwise.

The state department rates Afghanistan under its Level 4 advice “Do not Travel” — amid what the Department warned was terrorist activity and the risk of arbitrary detention. It is also essential to remember that no official consular assistance is available in the country, as the United States embassy is closed and unlikely to reopen in the foreseeable future.

In summary, we are always slightly more cautious with our guests from the United States. Aside from the goernment we believe there is a slightly elevated threat against them for obvious reasons—for example, a higher chance of encountering locals with personal grievances against the US.

As a result, especially in sensitive provinces such as Helmand and Kandahar, or in the mountains of the east, we are particularly careful to adhere to our Afghan principles of maintaining a low profile, dressing in local clothing, minimising time spent in one location, and refraining from sharing our planned routes.

We always encourage being as cautious as possible and always remembering where you are regardless of what passport you have in your back pocket.

Travellers from the United States were our 7th most common guest in 2024 behind citizens of China, UK, French, Germany, Denmark and Italy..

Travelling to Afghanistan as a citizen of the United States.

Is Winter a Good Time to Visit Afghanistan?