New US Visa Rule May Require $15,000 Bond From Business And Tourist Travelers

Under the proposal, individuals applying for business or tourist visas may be required to post a bond of up to $15,000 to enter the United States. The initiative is part of broader efforts to tighten visa policies.

According to a notice scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the U.S. State Department plans to implement a 12-month pilot program targeting applicants from countries considered to have high rates of visa overstays and inadequate internal document security systems. Under this program, applicants could be required to pay a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, depending on specific criteria.

This bond requirement comes amid a series of stricter visa measures introduced by the administration. Just last week, the State Department announced that a wider range of visa renewal applicants would now need to undergo an additional in-person interview, a step not previously mandatory. It also proposed that individuals applying through the Diversity Visa Lottery program must present valid passports from their country of citizenship.

A preview of the notice, posted on the Federal Register website on Monday, indicates that the program will go into effect 15 days after its official publication. The initiative aims to reduce financial risk to the U.S. government from travelers who violate the terms of their visas. According to the notice, the bond may be required for “aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure” who are citizens of countries identified as having “high visa overstay rates,” deficient screening and vetting systems, or who offer citizenship by investment without requiring residency.

The specific list of countries affected by the policy will be published once the pilot program is officially launched. However, the bond may be waived based on an individual applicant’s circumstances.

Importantly, this requirement will not apply to citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, which permits short-term travel for business or tourism for up to 90 days. The Visa Waiver Program currently includes 42 countries, primarily in Europe, as well as several nations in Asia, the Middle East, and other regions.

While visa bonds have been suggested in past administrations, they were never put into practice. The State Department has traditionally avoided implementing them due to concerns over administrative complexity and potential public backlash. However, the department now asserts that these concerns are no longer supported by recent data, noting that visa bonds have not been generally required in any recent period.