The US visa bond becomes permanent — and the amounts rise to $20,000

What changed on 3 August 2026

The visa bond began in August 2025 as a twelve-month pilot. That pilot has now been made permanent, and the numbers have moved. Under the pilot a consular officer could set a bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000. Under the permanent rule the tiers are $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000, with $15,000 as the working default.

The officer drops to $10,000 if the applicant plainly could not pay $15,000 and still fund the trip, and raises it to $20,000 where the applicant's ties inside the United States suggest a higher risk of not leaving. The State Department set the tiers against the cost of removing someone, which it puts at roughly $18,000 per person. From 1 October 2027, and every seven years after that, the $20,000 ceiling adjusts for US inflation and rounds up to the nearest $1,000.

Who this applies to

The bond attaches to nationality, not residence. If you hold a passport from a listed country you are in scope whichever consulate you apply at — including a US embassy in the country where you now live. Fifty countries were on the list when the rule was finalised, and every country already in the pilot carries over automatically.

The authoritative list lives on travel.state.gov and changes on a rolling basis: additions get at least 15 days' notice, removals take effect immediately. Check it the day you book your interview, not the day you started planning.

It applies to B-1/B-2 visitor visas only. Student, work and other categories are outside the program.

How it works at the counter

You apply normally and pay the usual MRV fee. If the officer finds you otherwise eligible and within scope, they refuse the visa under INA 221(g) and give you a notice explaining the bond. That refusal is designed to be overcome: post the bond and the case returns for issuance.

Payment goes through a US Treasury platform, via a link sent to the contact details on your application. It must be electronic, in US dollars, for the full amount. Exchange losses and card processing fees are yours to absorb. The State Department has repeatedly warned against paying through any third-party website — money sent outside the official platform is not recoverable.

There is no application form for a waiver. Only a consular officer can recommend one, and only in narrow cases such as US government travel or urgent humanitarian need.

Conditions attached to the visa

A bonded visa is valid for three months single entry, three months multiple entry, or up to twelve months multiple entry, depending on reciprocity with your country.

You must both enter and leave through a commercial airport or a CBP Preclearance location. Land crossings and sea ports are excluded in both directions. Short trips to Canada or Mexico remain possible under automatic revalidation, but your final departure has to be a flight out of a US airport.

Getting the money back

The bond is cancelled and refunded to the original payment method, without interest, once DHS systems confirm one of the following: the visa expired and you never travelled; you departed on time by air; or CBP refused you entry and cancelled the visa. If you never travelled and want the money before the visa expires, you can request a consular appointment to have the visa physically cancelled.

Refunds can be reduced through the US Treasury Offset Program if the payer owes money to a federal or state agency.

What forfeits the whole amount

• Staying past your authorised admission date
• Filing an extension of stay or change of status late
• Not leaving within 10 days of a denial of a timely-filed extension or change of status
• Filing Form I-589 for asylum or other humanitarian protection

A timely extension request is not a breach in itself — but USCIS may weigh the existence of the bond against you when deciding it.

What the pilot produced

The State Department reports that around 20,000 applicants were told to post a bond during the pilot. Roughly half declined and abandoned their applications; the rest tied up about $115 million. Visa issuance from covered countries fell 83% year on year. Overstays from those fifty countries dropped from 45,488 in FY 2024 to fewer than 50 in the first ten months of the pilot.

Separately, some nationalities on the bond list are also affected by other US entry restrictions, under which a visa may not be issued at all even if the bond is paid. Confirm your own situation with the consulate before paying anything.