U.S. Department Of State Expands List Of Countries Subject To Visa Bonds For B1/B2 Visas

On January 6, 2026, the Department of State expanded the list of countries whose citizens require visa bonds for issuance of B1/B2 visas. The visa bonds are part of a 12-month visa bond pilot program that requires individuals from the identified countries to pay a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as a condition of B-1/B2 visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers. The pilot program was established through a Temporary Final Rule in August 2025 that allows the Department of State to impose a bond requirement for B1/B2 visa issuance for countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement.

List of Countries Subject to Visa Bonds

The Department of State has identified nationals from these countries as needing visa bonds. The implementation dates are in parentheses:

• Algeria (January 21, 2026)
• Angola (January 21, 2026)
• Antigua and Barbuda (January 21, 2026)
• Bangladesh (January 21, 2026)
• Benin (January 21, 2026)
• Bhutan (January 1, 2026)
• Botswana (January 1, 2026)
• Burundi (January 21, 2026)
• Cabo Verde (January 21, 2026)
• Central African Republic (January 1, 2026)
• Cote D'Ivorie (January 21, 2026)
• Cuba (January 21, 2026)
• Djibouti (January 21, 2026)
• Dominica (January 21, 2026)
• Fiji (January 21, 2026)
• Gabon (January 21, 2026)
• The Gambia (October 11, 2025)
• Guinea (January 1, 2026)
• Guinea Bissau (January 1, 2026)
• Kyrgyzstan (January 21, 2026)
• Malawi (August 20, 2025)
• Mauritania (October 23, 2025)
• Namibia (January 1, 2026)
• Nepal (January 21, 2026)
• Nigeria (January 21, 2026)
• Sao Tome and Principe (October 23, 2025)
• Senegal (January 21, 2026)
• Tajikistan (January 21, 2026)
• Tanzania (October 23, 2025)
• Togo (January 21, 2026)
• Tonga (January 21, 2026)
• Turkmenistan (January 1, 2026)
• Tuvalu (January 21, 2026)
• Uganda (January 21, 2026)
• Vanuatu (January 21, 2026)
• Venezuela (January 21, 2026)
• Zambia (August 20, 2025) 
• Zimbabwe (January 21, 2026)

Additional countries may be added on a rolling basis.

Some of the countries subject to visa bonds are also subject to the Administration's  current travel ban. If a visa applicant is from a country subject to the travel ban, the visa applicant cannot be issued a B visa, even with payment of a bond, unless eligible for a travel ban exception.

Visa Application Procedure with Visa Bond

Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of the identified countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post the required bond as determined at the time of the visa interview. Applicants will receive a direct link to pay through Pay.gov. When making the payment, applicants must agree to the terms of the bond within the Pay.gov website. Applicants must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 only after a consular officer directs them to do so. The Administration has indicated that if a bond fee is erroneously paid without a consular officer's direction, the fee will not be returned.

Required Ports of Entry

As a condition of the bond, all visa holders who have posted a visa bond must enter and exit the United States through the designated ports of entry listed below. Not doing this might lead to a denied entry or a departure that is not properly recorded. The earliest date a visa holder who posted a visa bond may enter or exit at each port of entry is in parentheses. Additional designated ports of entry are being added on a rolling basis:

• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) (August 20, 2025)
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) (August 20, 2025)
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) (August 20, 2025)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) (January 1, 2026)
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) (January 1, 2026)
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) (January 1, 2026)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) (January 1, 2026)
• Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) (January 1, 2026)
• Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) (January 1, 2026)

Visa Bond Compliance

Visa Bond terms are set on the bond form (DHS Form I-352 Immigration Bonds) and on Travel.State.Gov. The bond will be canceled and the money returned automatically in these situations:

• The Department of Homeland Security records the visa holder's departure from the United States on or before the date to which they are authorized to stay in the United States, or
• The visa holder does not travel to the United States before the expiration of the visa, or
• The visa holder applies for and is denied admission at the U.S. port of entry.

Visa Bond Breach

The Department of Homeland Security will send cases where the visa holder may have broken the visa bond terms to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This is to determine if there was a breach. It includes, but is not limited to, these situations:

• The Department of Homeland Security records indicate that the visa holder departed from the United States after the date to which he or she is authorized to stay in the United States.
• The visa holder stays in the United States after the date to which he or she is authorized to do so and does not leave.
• The visa holder applies to adjust out of nonimmigrant status, including claiming asylum.

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