At least four European nations and Canada have adjusted their advisories for travel to the United States in recent weeks, a response to new policies from the Trump administration and reports of tourists being detained and mistreated.
Denmark and Finland both added language related to gender, which follows a Trump executive order that says U.S. policy recognizes only two genders.
Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs now states: “When applying for an ESTA or visa to the United States, there are two gender designations to choose from: male or female. If your passport has the gender designation X or you have changed gender, it is recommended to contact the US embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed.”
Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a travel advisory with similar language: “The United States issued a presidential order (25 STATE 11402) on February 24, 2025, requiring that a visitor applying for an ESTA or visa to the United States must now indicate either “male” or “female” as their gender. The order requires applicants to indicate their gender at birth.
“If the gender listed on the applicant’s passport does not match the gender assigned at birth, the US authorities may deny the application for a travel permit or visa. Please check the entry requirements with the US authorities in advance.”
Canada added information Friday to its travel advice web page regarding stays in the U.S. of more than 30 days: “Canadians and other foreign nationals visiting the United States for periods longer than 30 days must be registered with the United States Government. Failure to comply with the registration requirement could result in penalties, fines, and misdemeanor prosecution.”
Skift reported earlier this week that Germany and the U.K. had issued stronger travel advisories for travel to the U.S.
Germany’s advisory noted the risk of “arrest, detention, and deportation.” There has been widespread attention on the detention and deportation of German tourists in recent weeks.
“The Federal Foreign Office is taking the recent incidents very seriously. The travel and security advice for the U.S. was therefore last updated on Tuesday,” a spokesperson from the German agency told Skift.
Britain’s updated travel advisory states: “You may be liable to arrest or detention if you break the rules.”
Why it Matters: According to the International Trade Administration, both Germany and the U.K. are in the top 5 countries with the highest number of visitors to the U.S., as well as India, Canada, and Mexico.
In 2024, over 4 million travelers visited from the UK, and nearly 2 million visitors came from Germany, according to the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office.
Skift reported earlier this month that visits from Canada had begun to trend down.
