These 11 celebrities who are banned from entering countries around the world – and the reasons why

LEAVE A COMMENT For most celebrities, travelling the world is part and parcel of the job; but for some, fame and fortune don't always guarantee easy entry into certain countries.

From Chris Brown to Richard Gere, join HELLO! as we discover why these 11 celebrities have been banned from countries for reasons ranging from controversial political statements to criminal convictions.

Chris Brown has been denied entry into various countries over the years, after he was convicted of domestic violence in 2009 for assaulting his former girlfriend, Rihanna. 

He was briefly banned from entering the UK in 2010, then from Canada, New Zealand and Australia in 2015 on his One Hell of a Nite tour.  

“People need to understand – if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world, there are going to be countries that say to you, ‘You cannot come in, because you are not of the character that we expect in Australia,'” said then-Minister for Women, Michaelia Cash, to reporters.

The singer responded by claiming that he wanted to use his experiences to raise awareness around domestic violence, yet was denied a visa and has not entered Australia since.

Chinese officials banned Justin Bieber from entering China in 2017 for his Purpose tour, citing a history of “bad behaviour”, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture.

“Justin Bieber is a gifted singer, but he is also a controversial young foreign singer. In order to maintain order in the Chinese market and purify the Chinese performance environment, it is not suitable to bring in badly behaved entertainers,” the statement read.

“We hope that as Justin Bieber matures, he can continue to improve his own words and actions, and truly become a singer beloved by the public.” 

Fans believed that circulated images of Justin being carried up the Great Wall of China by bodyguards on a previous trip had played a part in the ban.

The controversial rapper was banned from Australia in July 2025, and from the UK in April 2026, due to a series of antisemitic comments and lyrics shared over the years. 

Aside from writing antisemitic social media posts and lyrics, and even releasing a song called ‘Heil Hitler’, Kanye had also sold T-shirts with Nazi symbols on them.

The father of four publicly apologised for his actions in early 2026 and claimed that he had acted out as a result of his bipolar disorder and a brain injury. 

However, he was still barred from the UK months later, and released a statement asking to make amends with the Jewish community. “My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through music,” he said.

“I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen. I know words aren’t enough – I have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here. With love.”

The socialite was barred from entering Japan in 2010 to promote her fragrance and fashion lines after pleading guilty to a misdemeanour drug charge in the US. 

Paris was questioned for hours upon arriving in Tokyo airport, and was turned back around when officials denied her visa. “I’m going back home, and I look forward to coming back to Japan in the future,” she told reporters. “I’m really tired.” 

Her publicist then shared a statement that read: “Paris understands and respects the rules and laws of the immigration authorities in Japan and fully wishes to cooperate with them.”  

Katy Perry’s 2015 concert in Taiwan angered Chinese officials so much that they denied her entry into their country for the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, forcing her to pull out of the performance.

During the 2015 show, Katy wore a sunflower dress, symbolic of the Sunflower Movement, a student-led protest that attempted to block a Chinese trade agreement. 

She also draped a Taiwanese flag around her shoulders during the show, which officials interpreted as her showing support for the Taiwanese independence movement.

Elton’s comments on religion in a 2010 Parade magazine interview led to him being banned from performing in Egypt, which sparked a wave of controversy.

“I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him,” Elton said in the interview.

“Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don’t know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East – you’re as good as dead.”  

The legendary rapper has been banned from several different countries over the years, including Australia, the UK and Norway.

He was first banned from the UK in 2006 after an incident in London’s Heathrow Airport involving his team, although this ban was lifted two years later. 

Snoop was then banned from Australia in 2007 due to his various criminal convictions, including drug and firearm offences; this was also lifted a year later. 

Then, in 2012, the star was found with eight grams of cannabis in his luggage at an airport in Norway, causing him to be banned from the country for two years.

The famed director was banned from China following the release of his 1997 Disney film Kundun, which depicted the story of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Communist Party’s actions in Tibet. 

Officials did not agree with his portrayal of events, and so the film led to the breakdown of Disney’s relationship with China, as well as the censorship of Martin’s films in the country until 2012.

Selena was denied a visa to enter Russia for a performance in 2013 after she publicly supported LGBTQIA+ rights. 

While Russia decriminalised same-sex activity in the ’90s, they have since introduced sweeping laws effectively criminalising LGBTQIA+ activities.

The multihyphenate star was also banned from China in 2016 after taking photos with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader.

While promoting the 1999 film Brokedown Palace, Claire had some choice words about filming in the Philippines, which greatly angered the country’s then-president, Joseph Estrada. In the interview, she called the country’s capital, Manila, a “ghastly and weird city” that “smelled of cockroaches, with rats all over”. 

She was quickly named a persona non grata in the city and her projects were banned from being shown. “She should not be allowed to come here. She should not even be allowed to set foot here,” Joseph said to the media at the time. “Her remarks were uncalled for.”

Claire then issued a public apology, writing: “Because of the subject matter of our film Brokedown Palace, the cast was exposed to the darker and more impoverished places of Manila. My comments in Premiere magazine only reflect those locations, not my attitude towards the Filipino people. They were nothing but warm, friendly, and supportive.”

However, the apology was not well-received by Filipino officials, who called the statement an “excuse made by Hollywood press officers and not a genuine apology”.

Pretty Woman star Richard Gere is permanently banned from China, due to his decades-long support of Tibet and his close friendship with the Dalai Lama. 

The Buddhist actor called out China’s human rights abuses in Tibet in a speech at the 1993 Oscars, before co-founding the cultural preservation centre Tibet House US and The Gere Foundation to support the Tibetan community.

As a result of his dedication to the Tibetan cause, Richard shared that he had been effectively blacklisted from big studio movies for fear of backlash from China.

“There are definitely movies that I can’t be in because the Chinese will say, ‘Not with him,'” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I recently had an episode where someone said they could not finance a film with me because it would upset the Chinese.”

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