On August 1, 2026, the United States officially made its visa bond program permanent, increasing the maximum bond amount to $20,000 from the previous $15,000. The new rules remove the $5,000 minimum bond requirement that was part of the 2025 pilot phase.
Countries Included and Excluded
The program applies to around 50 countries, including 30 nations in Africa and additional countries in Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Among South Asian countries, Bangladesh and Nepal fall under the visa bond requirement, while India is exempt. Pakistan is not included in the list, according to US diplomatic sources and the State Department. Afghanistan and Iran
are excluded due to the absence of normal diplomatic relations with the United States.
Visa Bond Mechanics
US consular officers retain discretion to require selected applicants for B-1 business and B-2 tourist visas from covered countries to post a refundable bond between $10,000 and $20,000 before visa issuance. The bond is intended as a financial guarantee that the visa holder will comply with all visa terms and depart the United States by the authorized date. Bonds are refunded if the traveler meets all visa conditions; however, overstaying or violating visa rules results in forfeiture of the bond.
Overstay Statistics and Program Impact
During 2024, approximately 45,488 visa overstays
were recorded from the countries now covered by the program. In contrast, fewer than 50 overstays occurred during the first 10 months of the 2025 pilot, demonstrating significant compliance improvement. The bond requirement has also caused a decline in visa issuances, as some applicants opt out rather than provide a bond.
Officials confirm that the bond is not automatically required from all applicants of covered countries but is applied through case-by-case assessment by consular officers. The US State Department stated, “Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of
visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers.”
