Visa bonds hit 50 countries
The U.S. expanded its visa‑bond requirement to cover 50 countries, making certain visitor applicants post financial bonds as a condition of visa issuance — a new procedural hurdle for consular processing and short‑term business travel. (alltoc.com)
Twelve nations — Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia — will be added to the visa‑bond pilot effective April 2, 2026. (travel.state.gov) The program already covered a separate roster of countries, naming Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Nigeria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe among others that were added earlier this year. (state.gov) Consular officers will set bond tiers at $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 at the visa interview and applicants must file DHS Form I‑352 and pay on the Treasury’s Pay.gov platform when directed. (travel.state.gov) Visa‑bond holders are required to arrive and depart through designated commercial airports — the Department’s notice now covers all commercial air ports of entry including CBP preclearance locations and excludes charter, general aviation, land, and sea ports. (travel.state.gov) The pilot is governed by the Temporary Final Rule published in the Federal Register, runs from August 20, 2025, to August 5, 2026, and contemplates bonded B‑1/B‑2 visas issued for a single entry, valid for up to three months with CBP admission anticipated at no more than 30 days. (govinfo.gov) Department of State materials state the pilot has already produced nearly 1,000 bonded visa issuances with about 97% of those travelers returning on time, and that removal of an overstayer averages more than $18,000, figures the Department says justify projected taxpayer savings. (state.gov) The bond is refundable if the visa holder departs on or before their authorized stay, does not travel on the issued visa, or is denied admission at the port of entry. (state.gov) The Department warns applicants must only submit bond payments after explicit consular instruction via Pay.gov and that payments made outside the government’s systems will not be returned. (travel.state.gov)
