Chinese travellers need US visas for Northern Mariana Islands from 30 October

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is suspending the programme that allowed prescreened nationals of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to visit the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) without a visa. The suspension of the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program (EVS-TAP) takes effect at 2pm EDT on 30 October 2026, which is 4am on 31 October in the CNMI.

Existing travel authorisations issued under the scheme will be cancelled, and Chinese visitors will need a US visa to travel to the islands. The change was set out in a Federal Register notice and a US Customs and Border Protection bulletin.

Key facts

• Effective: 2pm EDT on 30 October 2026 (4am on 31 October local time in the CNMI)
• Who is affected: nationals of the People's Republic of China travelling to the Northern Mariana Islands
• What changes: visa-free entry under EVS-TAP ends and existing travel authorisations are cancelled
• New requirement: a US visa to travel to the islands
• Travellers already in the CNMI: may stay through their authorised period
• Previous allowance: 14 days in the CNMI, with no travel on to Guam or the US mainland

What is changing?

EVS-TAP let prescreened Chinese visitors enter the CNMI without a visa for up to 14 days, and barred them from travelling on to Guam or the US mainland. From the effective time, that visa-free route closes and a US visa is needed instead.

The programme was the CNMI-only part of the broader Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program, created under federal law in 2009, which lets visitors from 12 countries, including Japan and South Korea, stay up to 45 days without a visa. The notice does not restore the parole policy that EVS-TAP replaced on 20 February 2025.

Who can still travel, and what about people already there?

PRC nationals who have already been admitted under the programme may remain in the islands through their authorised period. New applicants will need a US visa. DHS said it will review EVS-TAP but announced no date for reinstatement.

Why did DHS suspend the programme?

The notice states that DHS judges that PRC nationals are almost certainly exploiting EVS-TAP, and that the volume of visa-exempt entries presents unacceptable security and law enforcement risks. It cites possible espionage near military sites in the CNMI and Guam, birth tourism, past casino-related money laundering and labour abuses, and two cases in which PRC nationals were sentenced for smuggling other Chinese nationals from the CNMI to Guam. More than 3,000 PRC nationals used the programme in fiscal year 2025, according to the notice, which is signed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

What this means for travellers

Chinese passport holders planning a trip to the Northern Mariana Islands should check whether they need a US visa before booking, as the visa-free authorisation is no longer available from 30 October 2026. Anyone already in the islands under an existing authorisation can stay for the remainder of the period granted. Authorisations held for future travel will be cancelled.

What happens next

Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds said the programme is "suspended, not terminated," and said her office is building a business case for the White House to lift the suspension. She said the islands are down to about 16 flights a week. Governor David M. Apatang told Congress the CNMI government does not support eliminating or materially weakening the programme without a workable replacement. DHS has given no date for any reinstatement.