The US Visa Bond Is Now Permanent: What B1/B2 Applicants From 50 Countries Need to Know
Last verified August 3, 2026. The designated country list is revised on a rolling basis, so confirm yours at travel.state.gov before you apply. Your specific case may have factors not covered here.
For a year, the US visa bond had an expiry date printed on it. It was a pilot, launched on 20 August 2025, and the reasonable thing to tell applicants was to wait it out. On 3 August 2026 the State Department published a final rule that removed the expiry date and raised the price. The bond is now a permanent part of the B-1/B-2 process, and the top tier is $20,000.
If you hold a passport from one of the 50 designated countries, this is the single most expensive condition that can be attached to a US visitor visa, and it is attached after you have already been found eligible. Below is what actually changed, who it reaches, and the mechanics that decide whether you get your money back.
From 3 August 2026, the US Visa Bond Program is permanent. Nationals of 50 designated countries applying for a B-1/B-2 visitor visa can be required to post a refundable bond of $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000, up from $5,000 to $15,000 under the pilot. The officer sets the amount only after finding you otherwise eligible; you post it on Form I-352 through Pay.gov. You must enter and leave through a commercial airport, and you get the full amount back if you depart on time or timely file to extend or change status. Overstaying forfeits the entire bond.
| Status | Permanent final rule (22 CFR Part 41), effective 3 August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Who it covers | B-1 and B-2 applicants who are nationals of 50 designated countries |
| Amount | $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000, set by the consular officer ($15,000 default) |
| How to post it | DHS Form I-352, paid through Pay.gov, after the officer sets the amount |
| Travel condition | Enter and exit via a commercial airport or CBP preclearance location only |
| Refund | Full, on timely departure or a timely extension or change of status filing |
| Forfeiture | Entire amount, on overstay or untimely filings |
| Not covered | F, M, J, H, L, O and immigrant visa applicants |
What actually changed on 3 August
Two things, and the second one is the one people miss.
- • A temporary rule with a built-in end date
- • Bond tiers of $5,000 / $10,000 / $15,000
- • Started at 2 countries, grew to 50
- • Nine named airports, later widened
- • Single entry, 3-month validity, 30-day admission
- • A permanent programme with no expiry
- • Bond tiers of $10,000 / $15,000 / $20,000
- • 50 countries, revised on a rolling basis
- • Any commercial airport, plus CBP preclearance
- • Entries and validity per your reciprocity schedule
The price rise is the headline: every tier moved up by $5,000. The structural change is quieter and matters more. A pilot is something you wait out; a permanent programme is something you plan around. And because the bond attaches to a visa rather than to a trip, a family travelling together should budget on the assumption that each person issued a bonded visa ties up their own five-figure sum. The published rule does not say whether officers set bonds on children’s visas, so ask the post rather than assuming either way.
Who is covered
Coverage turns on two things at once, and both must be true. First, you are applying for a B-1 or B-2 visitor visa. Second, you are a national of a designated country. Nationality is what counts, not where you live and not the post where you interview, so moving your application to a third country does not move you out of the programme.
These are the 50 designated nationalities on the State Department list dated 18 March 2026, the 38 from the January revision plus 12 added with effect from 2 April:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Botswana
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Central African Republic
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Cuba
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Georgia
- Grenada
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kyrgyz Republic
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mongolia
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- Papua New Guinea
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tunisia
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Source: US Department of State, countries subject to visa bonds, list dated 18 March 2026. Revised on a rolling basis; confirm before applying.
Thirty of the fifty are African countries. The list also reaches South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan), the Caribbean (Cuba, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada), Central America (Nicaragua), the Pacific (Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea), Central Asia and the Caucasus (Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Georgia), and Venezuela.
What the bond does not touch
The programme is B-1/B-2 only. F-1 and M-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, H-1B, L-1 and O-1 workers, and immigrant visa applicants are outside it, even if they hold a designated passport. If you are a Nepali student or a Nigerian H-1B candidate, no bond attaches to that application. Other 2026 restrictions may still apply to your nationality, and for several countries on this list they do, so read the bond rule alongside them rather than in place of them.
How much, and who decides
The consular officer sets the amount at $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000. The middle tier is the default. An officer choosing a different amount is expected to justify it from the totality of circumstances, which the rule frames as the information you provide on the form and at interview about your purpose of travel, current employment, income, skills, and education level.
| Cost | Amount | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|
| MRV application fee | $185 | Never |
| Visa Integrity Fee | $250, when collection begins at your post | Narrow conditions only |
| Visa bond | $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 | Yes, in full, on compliance |
The ordering matters more than the arithmetic. You cannot pre-pay a bond and you cannot volunteer one to strengthen a weak case. The officer only raises it after deciding you are otherwise eligible for the visa. If you are refused under Section 214(b), no bond ever arises, because there is no visa to attach it to. That means the bond is not a way around a ties problem; it sits on the far side of one.
The conditions attached to a bonded visa
Commercial airports only, in and out
You must enter and exit through a commercial air port of entry, which since 18 March 2026 includes CBP preclearance locations such as Toronto Pearson and Montreal Trudeau. Before that date the programme named just nine airports. Land borders, seaports, charter flights, and general aviation are closed to you. A weekend drive to Canada or a cruise home is not a minor itinerary change; it is a breach risk.
A short leash on entries and stay
Under the pilot, a bonded visa was annotated for a single entry, had to be used within three months, and CBP capped admission at 30 days rather than the usual six months. Legal analyses of the permanent rule describe entries and validity as following your nationality’s reciprocity schedule within a three-to-twelve-month band, which would loosen this. Sources do not fully converge yet, so read the annotation on your own visa foil and treat it as the authority for entries and validity.
Your I-94 is the clock that counts
Visa validity is not permission to stay. The CBP officer at the port of entry sets your admit-until date and records it on the I-94. That date, not the visa, decides whether you overstay, and an overstay is what forfeits the bond. Check it at i94.cbp.dhs.gov after every single entry, because a misread I-94 is now a five-figure mistake.
Getting your money back
The bond is genuinely refundable, and in the great majority of cases it is refunded. You get the full amount back if any of these is true:
- You depart on time through a qualifying commercial airport, within the stay authorised on your I-94.
- You timely and properly file an extension of stay or change of status, and then comply with the outcome.
- Your visa expires unused because you never travelled.
- You are refused admission at the port of entry and the visa is cancelled.
Refunds generally take about six to eight weeks to reach the original payment method. Keep the Form I-352 receipt and the bond reference number, because chasing a refund without them is painful.
Forfeiture is all or nothing.
The final rule names the main breach circumstances as staying beyond the period authorised on your I-94, filing an untimely extension or change of status request, and failing to depart after such a request is denied. Working without authorisation breaches B status too. There is no partial refund for a short overstay: a traveller who leaves three days late loses the same $15,000 as one who never leaves. And because the refund depends on CBP recording your departure, leaving by a route the programme does not permit can cost you the money even though you genuinely left.
Applying from a designated country?
Start a free Smart Visa Checklist. Tell us your nationality, purpose, and travel dates, and we map the documents and deadlines that apply to your case, including the ones a bonded application turns on.
Build My Free Checklist →Why the government says it is keeping this
The State Department’s case rests on the overstay numbers, and they are striking. In FY2024, travellers from the 50 countries now on the list produced 45,488 overstays. In the first ten months of the bond pilot, overstays from those same countries numbered fewer than 50.
The other half of that picture is the one applicants feel. Over the same period, B-visa issuance to the designated countries fell roughly 83% against the year before, and reporting on the rule indicates that around half of affected applicants declined to post the bond once told the amount. Compliance among people who did post it has run high, with the department citing 97% timely returns at one point in the pilot. Both readings are true at once: the people who take the bond overwhelmingly comply, and the bond keeps most people from travelling at all.
What to do now
Before you apply
- • Check today’s country list, not a cached one
- • Decide your ceiling before the interview
- • Plan for the money to be locked up for months
- • Build the 214(b) ties case first; the bond comes after
- • Price the trip at $185 + $250 + the bond
If a bond is set
- • Post it on Form I-352 via Pay.gov, keep the receipt
- • Read the annotation on the visa foil carefully
- • Book commercial flights both ways, no land or sea
- • Check the I-94 admit-until date after landing
- • File any extension early, never late
Applying from one of the designated countries? Our corridor guides for Nigeria to the US and Nepal to the US cover the local process, and the B1/B2 strategy guide covers the 214(b) case you have to win before the bond question is ever asked.
Frequently asked questions
Is the US visa bond programme permanent now?
Yes. On 3 August 2026 the Department of State published a final rule amending 22 CFR Part 41 that makes the Visa Bond Program permanent, effective the same day. It finalises the temporary rule that started the pilot on 20 August 2025. The practical difference is that the programme no longer has a built-in expiry date, so applicants and employers should plan around it as a standing feature of the B-1/B-2 process rather than a temporary measure that will lapse on its own.
How much is the US visa bond in 2026?
The consular officer sets the bond at $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000. The final rule raised each tier by $5,000 from the pilot amounts of $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000. The middle tier, $15,000, is the default; an officer choosing a different amount is expected to justify it from the totality of circumstances, including your stated purpose of travel, current employment, income, skills, and education level. The bond is separate from and additional to the $185 MRV application fee, which is never refundable.
Which countries are subject to the US visa bond?
As of the State Department's list dated 18 March 2026, 50 countries are designated: Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyz Republic, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The list is revised on a rolling basis, so check travel.state.gov for the current version before you apply. Designation follows your nationality, not where you live or where you apply.
Does the bond apply to student, work, or immigrant visas?
No. The programme covers B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourism, family visits, medical treatment) applicants only, including the combined B-1/B-2. F-1 and M-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, H-1B, L-1, and O-1 workers, and immigrant visa applicants are outside it. Being a national of a designated country does not put a bond on a student or work visa, though other 2026 restrictions may apply to your nationality separately.
How do I pay a US visa bond?
You do not pay it up front and you cannot volunteer to pay it to improve your odds. The sequence is: you apply and interview as normal, and only if the consular officer finds you otherwise eligible for the visa are you told a bond is required and at what amount. You then submit DHS Form I-352 and pay through Pay.gov. The visa is issued after the bond is posted and accepted. If you are refused under Section 214(b), no bond arises, because there is no visa to condition.
How do I get my visa bond money back?
The bond is fully refundable when you comply. It is returned if you depart the United States on time through a qualifying port of entry within your authorised stay, if you timely and properly file an extension of stay or change of status and then comply with the outcome, if your visa expires without you ever travelling, or if you are refused admission at the port of entry and the visa is cancelled. Refunds typically take about six to eight weeks to reach the original payment method. The critical mechanic is that your departure must be recorded, which is why the port-of-entry conditions matter so much.
When is a visa bond forfeited?
The whole amount is forfeited on breach. The final rule identifies the main breach circumstances as remaining in the United States beyond the period of stay authorised on your I-94, filing an untimely extension or change of status request, and failing to depart after such a request is denied. Working without authorisation also breaches the terms of B status. Forfeiture is all-or-nothing; there is no partial refund for a short overstay.
Can I enter through any US airport with a bonded visa?
You must enter and exit through a commercial airport port of entry, which since 18 March 2026 includes any commercial air port of entry plus CBP preclearance locations such as Toronto Pearson and Montreal Trudeau. Before that date the programme restricted bonded travellers to nine named airports. Land borders, seaports, charter flights, and general aviation are not available to you. Using a non-qualifying route risks being denied entry, or worse, having your departure go unrecorded, which puts the refund at risk even though you left.
Is the bonded visa still single entry and 30 days?
Under the pilot, a bonded visa was annotated for a single entry, had to be used within three months of issuance, and CBP capped admission at 30 days. Legal analyses of the permanent rule describe validity and entries as following the reciprocity schedule for your nationality within a three-to-twelve-month band, which would be a loosening. Sources do not fully converge on this point yet, so treat the annotation printed on your own visa foil as authoritative for entries and validity, and treat the admit-until date on your I-94 as authoritative for how long you may stay. Check the I-94 at i94.cbp.dhs.gov after every entry.
Should I just skip the bond and apply elsewhere?
You cannot escape a bond by applying in a third country, because designation tracks your nationality rather than your place of application or residence. What the data does show is that roughly half of affected applicants have declined to post the bond once told the amount, and B-visa issuance to the 50 designated countries fell about 83% over the pilot's first ten months against the same period a year earlier. The decision is a real cost-benefit call about tying up a five-figure sum, but it should be made after an approval, not by pre-emptively avoiding the application.
A bond is only asked of applicants who already cleared the hard part
No bond is set on a refused application. The question that decides your case is still Section 214(b), and it is answered from your documents before anyone mentions money. TravelReady maps what your corridor actually requires, and Officer’s Read reviews your file the way a consular officer will, flagging what would be questioned before you submit.
What we check that this article can’t:
- →Whether your financial story reads as consistent to a US officer, line by line
- →Which ties evidence your specific consulate questions most often
- →Where your itinerary or funds would read as a 214(b) risk before a bond is ever discussed
Free Smart Visa Checklist. Document validation from $67. No subscription. No approval is ever guaranteed, because that’s the officer’s call; our job is to get you ready for it.
Sources
Every claim above traces to a named source. Rules change, so confirm the current position at the official links before you act.
- State Department final rule: Visas: Visa Bond Program, Federal Register (3 August 2026)
- The pilot it replaced: Visas: Visa Bond Pilot Program, Federal Register (5 August 2025)
- Current country list: Countries Subject to Visa Bonds, travel.state.gov
- State Department announcement of the expansion to 50 countries: State Department Expands Visa Bonds to Combat Illegal Overstay Rates (18 March 2026)
- Fragomen: State Department Makes Permanent B-1/B-2 Visa Bond Program and Increases Bond Amounts (tiers, refund and breach conditions)
- BAL: State Department Expands List of Countries and Designated Ports of Entry (commercial airport condition)
- PBS NewsHour: U.S. will make visa bond program permanent, affecting mostly African countries (overstay figures)
- Skift: U.S. Makes Visa Bond Program Permanent, Visas Granted to Targeted Countries Drop 83% (issuance decline)
This article is general information for visa applicants, not legal advice. Bond amounts, the designated country list, and the conditions attached to a bonded visa can change without notice. Confirm the current rule with the official sources above or a licensed immigration attorney before you act. Last verified: 2026-08-03.