B-1 Visa Bond Pilot Program Expanded

in Immigration Actions Trump 2.0
January 5th, 2026

The Department of State (DOS) published a temporary final rule on August 5, 2025, that established a pilot program to test a $5K, $10K, or $15K bond system for select B‑1/B‑2 visitor visa applicants from countries with high overstay rates or other conditions. This list was recently expanded to new countries effective in January 2026. See current list below with the bond effective dates and refer to the DOS published list of countries from which nationals will be subject to the B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot program, effective August 20, 2025

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

The visa bond pilot program will be for B-1/B-2 visitor visas only. It will not be applied to any other kind of nonimmigrant visa, including F, M, J, H, O, etc. Visa Waiver Program travelers will also fall outside the scope of the pilot program, since they do not apply for visas. This should be seen as an initial list, as DOS stated in the rule preamble “The Department will announce the covered countries via Travel.State.Gov no fewer than 15 days before the Pilot Program takes effect, and this list may be amended throughout the pilot, with 15 days from announcement to enactment.”

Also note that this temporary final rule instituting a B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot program is completely separate from and has nothing to do with the forthcoming Visa Integrity Fee. Conditions leading to a country being placed on the list. Under the pilot program, DOS may require visa bonds be paid by applicants for B-1/B-2 visas who are nationals of countries identified by the Department of State:

  • as having high visa overstay rates per the Department of Homeland Security’s FY 2023 Overstay Report
  • where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient; or,
  • where Citizenship by Investment (“CBI”) is offered (i.e., countries that “sell” citizenship to non-citizens with no residency requirement)

Consular officers will set the Visa Bond amount at $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, at the time of the visa application, based on a consular officer’s assessment of which amount is sufficient to ensure the alien will maintain the status under which he or she was admitted or any status subsequently acquired under section 248 of the INA and will not remain in the United States beyond the end of the alien’s authorized period of stay. In addition, B1/B2 visas approved under the Visa Bond Pilot Program will be valid for a single entry to the US within three months of the date of visa issuance.

The pilot will last for approximately one year, from August 20, 2025 until August 5, 2026. At the conclusion of the pilot, DOS will no longer require posting of bonds under the temporary final rule, but the preamble to the rule makes clear that any bonds posted under the Pilot Program will remain in effect until either breached or cancelled in accordance with their terms and conditions of issuance.”

Starting August 20, 2025:

  • 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 in amounts of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, determined at time of visa interview.
  • applicants must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 agreeing to the terms of the bond, through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov.
  • applicants should only submit a Form I-352 to post a bond within 30 days after being directed to do so by a consular officer. Applicants will be provided a direct link and must pay via Pay.gov – applicants must not use any third-party website for posting the bond as the U.S. Government is not responsible for any money paid outside of U.S. Government systems.
  • A bond does not guarantee visa issuance, and if any individual pays fees without being directed to do so by a consular officer, that money will not be returned.
  • all visa holders who have posted a visa bond must arrive to and depart from the United States via one of the ports of entry listed below. Failure to do so may result in being denied entry or a departure not being appropriately registered:
  • Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
  • John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
  • Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)”

Refer to specific details at DOS notice designating Malawi and Zambia regarding bond satisfaction, bond breach and bond refund requirements.