Newsman: The US Department of State has expanded the list of countries of nations whose passport holders are required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the United States. Nationals from 38 countries should pay the visa bond up to $15000, maintaining they are effective in ensuring that citizens of targeted countries do not overstay their visas.
Bangladesh has also been included to this list and from January 21st, 2026 all Bangladeshi nationals seeking visit visa will require to pay the visa bond from $5000 to $15000 determined during the visa interview. The new countries covered by the requirement join Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Gambia, Malawi and Zambia, which were all placed on the list in August and October of last year.
This Temporary Final Rule (TFR) establishing the pilot program will take in effect on said dates from January, 2026. However, Payment of the visa bond does not guarantee a visa issuance. But the amount will be refunded if the visa is denied or when a visa holder demonstrates they have complied with the terms of visa.
If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, the fees will not be returned.
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. The US authority will consider a ‘Visa bond breach’ by the individual, if the visa holder applies to adjust out of nonimmigrant status, including claiming asylum.
The visa bonds are part of stricter Trump administration policies requiring citizens from all countries that require visas to sit for in-person interviews and disclose years of social media histories as well as detailed accounts of their and their families’ previous travel and living arrangements.
Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview. The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352. Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov. This requirement applies regardless of place of application.
Applicants should submit Form I-352 to post a bond only after a consular officer directs them to do so. Applicants will receive a direct link to pay through Pay.gov. They must not use any third-party website for posting the bond. The U.S. Government is not responsible for any money paid outside of its systems.
The US 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),,auritania (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).
Required ports of entry
As a condition of the Visa 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:
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)
Visa bond compliance
Visa Bond terms are set on the bond form (Department of Homeland Security’s 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.
