B-1/B-2 Visa Bonds

January 22, 2026

UPDATE: January 22, 2026

Since the Department of State (DOS) introduced the Visa Bond Pilot Program in August 2025, additional countries continue to be designated as subject to B-1 (business) / B-2 (tourist and medical) visa bonds. The full updated list is available on DOS’s Countries Subject to Visa Bonds list, and the applicable effective date for each country is noted in parentheses.

The visa bond pilot program will apply to B-1/B-2 visitor visas only. It does not apply to any other kind of nonimmigrant visa, including F, M, J, H, O, etc.

UPDATE: October 23, 2025

Since the Department of State (DOS) introduced the Visa Bond Pilot Program in August, additional countries have been designated as subject to the B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot on DOS’s Countries Subject to Visa Bonds list. The applicable effective date for each country is noted in parentheses:

  • Mali (October 23, 2025)
  • Mauritania (October 23, 2025)
  • Sao Tome and Principe (October 23, 2025)
  • Tanzania (October 23, 2025)
  • The Gambia (October 11, 2025)
  • Malawi (August 20, 2025)
  • Zambia (August 20, 2025)                                                                                                                                                                                                              

The visa bond pilot program will apply to B-1/B-2 visitor visas only. It does not apply to any other kind of nonimmigrant visa, including F, M, J, H, O, etc. 

August 5, 2025

On August 5, 2025 the Department of State (DOS) published in the Federal Register a temporary final rule that establishes a one-year 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.

Read the rule, titled Visa Bond Pilot Program, published at 90 FR 37378 (August 5, 2025).

On the same day it published the temporary final rule in the Federal Register, DOS also published a list of two countries that will be covered by the B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot program, effective August 20, 2025.

  • Malawi
  • Zambia

This should be seen as an initial list, as DOS stated in the rule preamble that, "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."

The visa bond pilot program will be for B-1/B-2 visitor visas only. It does not apply 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.

Read more at NAFSA.org.