Washington DC – The United States government has widened its visa bond policy to cover 38 countries, a move that could affect travellers from Africa, Latin America and Asia seeking entry for business or tourism, with bond amounts reaching up to 15,000 dollars.
The decision was announced on Tuesday by the US Department of State, which added 25 new countries to an existing list under the Trump administration’s tighter immigration enforcement measures. Most of the newly listed countries are in Africa, alongside several from the Caribbean, Asia and Latin America.
Under the policy, citizens of affected countries who qualify for B1 and B2 business and tourism visas may be required to post a bond of 5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 dollars before travelling to the United States. The amount is set by a consular officer during the visa interview and must be paid through the US Department of the Treasury’s Pay.gov platform using Department of Homeland Security Form I 352.
Nigeria is among the countries newly added, with implementation scheduled for January 21. US authorities said African nations account for 24 of the 38 countries now subject to the bond requirement. The State Department noted that paying the bond does not guarantee visa approval and warned that fees paid without direct instruction from a consular officer will not be refunded.
Travellers who post bonds will also be required to enter the United States through designated airports, including Boston Logan International Airport, John F Kennedy International Airport in New York and Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Refunds will only be processed if the traveller departs the US on or before the authorised stay period, does not travel before the visa expires, or is denied entry at a port of entry.
The expansion follows partial travel restrictions that took effect earlier this month on several countries, including Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon and The Gambia. In Nigeria’s case, US authorities cited security concerns linked to extremist groups and challenges in screening and vetting travellers, as well as visa overstay rates of 5.56 percent for B1 and B2 visas and 11.90 percent for student and exchange categories.
Although Eswatini is not on the list, the development is likely to be closely watched locally as it reflects a broader tightening of US entry requirements for African travellers. Businesspeople, students and tourists from the region could face higher financial barriers when applying for US visas, particularly those from neighbouring or partner countries now affected by the policy.
The visa bond expansion builds on a pilot programme introduced in August targeting countries with high overstay rates and weak document security controls. It also comes amid other immigration measures, including a new Department of Homeland Security rule expanding facial recognition for non citizens entering and leaving the US from December 26 2025, and the announcement of the Trump Gold Card initiative aimed at creating a new pathway to US citizenship.
Countries newly added to the bond requirement include Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. Those already listed include Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and Zambia.
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