The United States (US) has announced new visa restrictions against foreign officials accused of delaying international child-abduction cases.
The US said officials involved in blocking efforts to return children to their usual country of residence could face visa restrictions. The measure can also apply to their immediate family members.
Marco Rubio announces the policy
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy on September 28. It targets government officials, judges, judicial staff and law-enforcement officers who are found to be responsible for such delays.
The US Department of State has identified 14 countries in its latest report.
They are Argentina, the Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, India, Jordan, Peru, Poland, South Korea, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates.
The action follows the US State Department’s 2026 Annual Report on International Child Abduction.
The report looks at cases handled during 2025. Its purpose is to put more pressure on officials and governments to follow laws and court orders in child-abduction cases.
Egypt among countries named by the US
Egypt is the only African country included in the latest list. The US report says Egypt has been cited for a pattern of noncompliance in several previous reports.
This includes 2015 and 2016 as well as every year from 2019 to 2025.
According to the report, 59 per cent of Egypt-related cases were still unresolved after more than 12 months in 2025. A total of 18 cases involving 30 children remained open at the end of the year.
Egypt is not a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction.
However, the US and Egypt signed a memorandum in 2003 to encourage cooperation in such cases.
India has the highest number of open cases
India also remains a major focus of the report. It had 90 unresolved cases involving 103 children at the end of 2025. Around 71 per cent of these cases had remained open for more than one year.
