The U.S. Department of State has announced a 12-month Visa Bond Pilot Program, effective from August 20, 2025, until August 5, 2026.
The program allows consular officers to require a visa bond of up to $15,000 from certain B-1/B-2 visa applicants. These applicants are nationals of countries with high visa overstay rates, deficient screening and vetting information, or Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs with no residency requirements.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to ensure that nonimmigrant visitors comply with the terms of their visas and depart the United States on time. The pilot responds to Executive Order 14159, “Protecting The American People Against Invasion,” which directed federal agencies to implement systems for administering visa bonds.
Under the program, consular officers may set bond amounts at $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 based on an applicant’s individual circumstances. The bond must be posted via the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Pay.Gov platform using Form I-352, Immigration Bond. The amount will be held in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) account and refunded if the visa holder complies with all conditions of their stay.
The Department will publish the list of affected countries at Travel.State.Gov at least 15 days before enforcement begins, with the ability to modify the list on a rolling basis. Visa holders under the program must enter and exit the United States through pre-designated airports, and their length of stay will be limited to 30 days by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The Department clarified that there will be no public waiver application process for the bond requirement. However, consular officers may recommend waivers in limited circumstances, such as humanitarian needs or travel by U.S. government employees, subject to approval by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services.
The pilot program will not apply to citizens of Canada, Mexico, or countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program. The State Department estimates that approximately 2,000 visa applicants may be required to post bonds during the one-year pilot period.
The Visa Bond Pilot Program follows a 2020 rulemaking which was never implemented due to pandemic-related travel disruptions. It is intended to evaluate the feasibility of using visa bonds as a tool for ensuring compliance with U.S. immigration law and supporting national security and foreign policy objectives. Bonds will be forfeited if a visa holder overstays or violates visa conditions. All bond compliance or breach will be monitored in coordination with DHS.
The Department will cancel bonds and issue full refunds to applicants who meet the terms of their visa and depart on time. Visa holders may request bond cancellation appointments at U.S. consular posts abroad or rely on departure data captured through DHS systems. Appeals of bond breach decisions will be handled under DHS regulations.
Visa bonds have been proposed in the past but never implemented. The State Department has traditionally discouraged their use, citing the cumbersome process of posting and discharging a bond and concerns over possible public misperceptions.
However, in this latest rule, the department noted that the previous view “is not supported by any recent examples or evidence, as visa bonds have not generally been required in any recent period.”
