The United States will require business and tourist visitors from certain countries to post bonds of up to $15,000 (£11,300) before entering the country under a new pilot programme announced Monday by the State Department. The 12-month scheme, set to begin on 20 August 2025, targets nationals from countries with high visa overstay rates and inadequate security screening procedures.
Consular officers will have discretion to impose bonds of $5,000 (£3,700), $10,000 (£7,500), or $15,000 (£11,300) on applicants seeking B-1 business or B-2 tourist visas, according to a notice published in the Federal Register. The bonds would be refunded when visitors depart the United States in compliance with their visa terms, but forfeited if they overstay or violate visa conditions.
Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure and who are nationals of countries identified by the department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering citizenship by investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program,” the official notice stated.
Countries Likely to Face Bond Requirements
While the State Department has not yet released the official list of affected countries, which will be published at least 15 days before implementation, data from the Department of Homeland Security’s 2023 overstay report suggests several nations could be targeted. Countries with particularly high overstay rates include Myanmar at 62.59 per cent, Bhutan at 58.41 per cent, Turkmenistan at 55.07 per cent, and Djibouti at 53.44 per cent.
African nations likely to be affected include Angola, Liberia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cabo Verde, and Burkina Faso, all recording overstay rates exceeding 10 per cent in fiscal year 2023. Haiti and Venezuela, each with more than 20,000 nationals overstaying temporary visas, may also face the bond requirement.
Citizens of the 42 countries participating in the Visa Waiver Programme, including most European nations, Australia, and several Asian countries, will be exempt from the bond requirement. The programme allows these nationals to travel to the United States for business or tourism for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa.
Revival of Trump-Era Immigration Policy
The visa bond programme represents a revival of a similar initiative launched in November 2020 during the final months of President Donald Trump’s first administration. That programme, which targeted approximately two dozen countries primarily in Africa, was never fully implemented due to the collapse in global travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A similar pilot program was launched in November 2020 during the last months of Trump’s first term in office, but it was not fully implemented due to the drop in global travel associated with the pandemic,” the State Department notice confirmed.
The current programme responds to Executive Order 14159, titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” signed by Trump on his first day back in office. The order directs the Treasury Secretary, alongside the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, to “establish a system to facilitate the administration of all bonds.
Tourism Industry Raises Concerns About Economic Impact
Travel industry representatives have expressed significant concerns about the potential economic impact of the bond requirement. Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at the Cato Institute, warned the policy could devastate the American tourism sector.
“Bonds on tourist and business visas will convince most foreigners not to bother coming,” Nowrasteh said. “The result will be a decimated tourist industry. Tourists spend over $200 billion annually in the U.S., spending that counts as exports.
The U.S. Travel Association estimated the pilot programme would initially affect approximately 2,000 applicants, primarily from countries with relatively low travel volumes to the United States. However, industry representatives expressed greater concern about the cumulative impact of multiple new fees and requirements.
If this fee is implemented, the U.S. will have one of, if not the highest, visitor visa fees in the world,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Travel Association stated. If we are to maintain a competitive position in the global travel market, it’s critical that U.S. visa policy reflects both national security priorities and the significant economic value of international visitation.
Additional Financial Burdens for Visitors
The bond requirement comes alongside a new $250 (£188) “visa integrity fee” set to take effect on 1 October 2025. This fee, passed as part of a spending package in July, will be charged to all non-immigrant visa applicants once their visa is approved. Combined with existing visa application fees of $185 (£139), the total cost for visitors from affected countries could exceed $15,435 (£11,627).
For families or couples travelling together, the financial burden could prove prohibitive. Adult travellers would each need to post bonds of up to $15,000, while accompanying children might face $5,000 (£3,700) bond requirements, potentially putting United States travel out of reach for many middle-class visitors.
David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, called the bond requirement “draconian,” noting it would create “what is likely an insurmountable barrier to travel for many applicants.
Diplomatic Tool and National Security Justification
The State Department characterised the pilot programme as both a national security measure and a diplomatic tool designed to encourage foreign governments to strengthen their own screening procedures. According to the notice, the programme aims to assess whether visa bonds can effectively reduce overstay rates while evaluating concerns about insufficient identity verification in certain countries.
The Pilot Program is further designed to serve as a diplomatic tool to encourage foreign governments to take all appropriate actions to ensure robust screening and vetting for all citizens in matters of identity verification and public safety,” the State Department stated.
The department cited costs associated with tracking down and removing visa overstayers, estimated at approximately $17,121 (£12,892) per person by the Department of Homeland Security. Officials argued the bonds would help offset these expenses while incentivising compliance with visa terms.
Implementation Details and Waiver Process
Under the programme, consular officers will retain discretion to waive bond requirements on a case-by-case basis, considering individual circumstances. The bonds must be paid through the Treasury Department’s Pay.Gov interface before visa issuance.
Travellers who comply with all visa conditions and depart within their authorised period will have their bonds cancelled and refunded. However, those who overstay or violate visa terms will forfeit the entire bond amount, which the government will use to cover enforcement and removal costs.
The State Department acknowledged that bond requirements have traditionally been avoided due to the “cumbersome” nature of processing and potential public misperceptions. However, officials argued the pilot programme would provide valuable data on the operational feasibility and effectiveness of visa bonds as an immigration enforcement tool.
Broader Immigration Crackdown Context
The visa bond programme forms part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement agenda. Recent measures have included tightening requirements for visa renewal applicants, who must now submit to additional in-person interviews, and proposing that Diversity Visa Lottery programme applicants possess valid passports from their countries of citizenship.
According to Department of Homeland Security data, more than 500,000 people overstayed visas in fiscal year 2023, with visa overstays now accounting for approximately 40 per cent of new undocumented immigrants in the United States. The administration has justified its enforcement measures by claiming those “unlawfully present in the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety.
Programme Evaluation and Future Implications
The 12-month pilot programme will run until 5 August 2026, during which time the State Department will collect data on its effectiveness at reducing overstay rates and its impact on legitimate travel. Officials will evaluate whether the bonds deter otherwise qualified visitors and assess the programme’s operational feasibility for potential permanent implementation.
The department estimated the programme could generate $20 million (£15 million) over the course of the year, though critics argue any revenue gains would be offset by losses to the tourism industry. International arrivals to the United States have already declined 11.6 per cent in March 2025 compared to previous periods, with policy shifts and tighter border security contributing to the downturn.
As the implementation date approaches, affected travellers and tourism industry stakeholders await the official list of countries subject to the bond requirement. The programme’s impact on international business relationships, educational exchanges, and family visits remains to be seen, with many warning it could further isolate the United States from global travel markets.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
