The US has made its visa bond programme permanent for applicants from 50 countries, requiring refundable bonds of up to $20,000 for B-1 and B-2 visas. According to the latest federal notice posted in the Federal Register, the State Department officially announced on July 31, 2025, that the visa bond program would become permanent for citizens of around 50 countries, primarily in Africa. Under the revised framework, consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition for receiving a visa, as determined by the consular officers. The earlier pilot programme allowed consular officers to set bond amounts of $5,000, $10,000 or up to $15,000, but the final rule removes the lowest $5,000 option and raises the maximum bond amount to $20,000. The 2025 visa bond pilot provided sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond program is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders. The $20,000 maximum will be adjusted for inflation beginning on October 1, 2027, and every seven years thereafter. The programme responds to Executive Order 14159, "Protecting the American People Against Invasion," which directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, to "establish a system to facilitate the administration of all bonds" under the provisions of the INA.
The programme covers 30 countries from Africa and 20 other nations, with the final rule taking effect on August 3, 2026 when it is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register. As reported by Reuters, countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Algeria, Venezuela, Georgia, Zimbabwe and Senegal are among the 50 nations covered under the programme. The State Department had initially estimated that around 2,000 applicants would be covered by the programme, but the pilot ultimately applied to around 20,000 applicants. The programme is specifically designed for B-1 and B-2 visas, which are issued for business and tourism travel. Among the Asian countries included in the programme, Cambodia is the only Southeast Asian nation, while other Asian countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The move disproportionately affects Africa, with 30 out of the 50 countries covered by the rule coming from the continent, making it the region most heavily impacted by one of the most far-reaching changes to US visitor visa rules in recent years. Turkmenistan has been covered by the policy since January 1, while Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were added on January 21. The broader list includes countries in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan remaining outside the program. Countries deemed to meet the criteria are identified on the Department's website, with additional countries may be identified on this website no less than 15 days prior to the initiation of the program for that country, and countries may be modified on a rolling basis.
According to the State Department, nearly 45,500 visitors from the 50 participating countries overstayed their visas in 2024. During the first 10 months of the pilot programme, however, fewer than 50 overstays were recorded among applicants who were subject to the bond requirement. As reported by Reuters, nearly half of the applicants chose not to pay the bond, contributing to an 83% decline in business and tourist visas issued to citizens of the participating countries. The department expects this final rule will contribute to continued reduction of demand for B-1/B-2 visa applications from nationals of countries subject to the program. The 50 countries currently covered recorded 45,488 overstays during the 2024 fiscal year, demonstrating the significant impact of the programme on visa compliance. The African countries currently subject to the visa bond requirement are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The State Department says countries are designated based on factors including high B-1/B-2 visa overstay rates, using data from the Department of Homeland Security's Entry/Exit Overstay Report.
Applicants required to post the bond will receive a refund if they comply with the conditions of their visa, including leaving the US within the authorised period. According to Reuters, if a visa application is rejected, the bond will also be refunded. The programme was introduced by the Trump administration in August last year as part of efforts to curb visa overstays and strengthen immigration enforcement. The permanent adoption of the program is expected to have significant implications for African travellers, particularly entrepreneurs, investors, professionals and families seeking to visit the United States for business or tourism. Critics say the policy could increase the financial burden on travellers from developing countries visiting the US for business, tourism or family reasons, with immigration advocates arguing it will deter legitimate travel to the United States. No interest is paid on the deposit, and posting a bond does not guarantee that a visa will be issued. Travelers who post a bond must enter and ultimately leave the United States through commercial airports, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance locations abroad, and cannot use land or sea crossings for their initial entry or final departure. Under the new framework, eligible applicants may be required to deposit $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, depending on a U.S. consular officer's assessment. To date, close to half of those applications have resulted in a bond payment, for a total temporary monetary cost to the public of about $115 million. The bond amount will be rounded up, to the nearest $1,000, upon adjusting for inflation. The Department recognizes that the Visa Bond Pilot Program has led to reduced B1/B2 visa demand in pilot program countries, with the number of aliens required to post a bond will be limited relative to overall worldwide B-1/B-2 visa issuances.
