State Department announces 12-month tourist/business visa bond pilot program

On August 5, 2025, the State Department announced a 12-month visa bond pilot program where noncitizens applying for a B-1 or B-2 business or pleasure visa from certain countries may be required to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of receiving their visa, as determined by the consular officer. Noncitizens potentially subject to the program are those who are citizens of countries that the State Department has identified as having high visa overstay rates where the State Department has deemed screening and vetting information to be insufficient. The program also applies to noncitizens who obtained their home country citizenship through investment instead of a residency requirement.  

The Trump Administration previously enacted a similar program in 2020 where citizens of the following countries were potentially required to post bond: Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. 

Critics have pointed out that the bond could place the B-1/B-2 visa out of reach for many noncitizens hoping to visit the US. 

See the Federal Register Notice announcing the program here.