The U.S. State Department is set to roll out a 12‑month “visa bond” pilot program requiring some foreign tourists and business travelers to post bond amounts of $5,000, $10,000, or up to $15,000 before even stepping foot in America, according to AP News.
The regulation is expected to take effect August 20, 2025, with final details published in the Federal Register 15 days beforehand, consistent with federal notice rules.
The policy promises a full refund, with interest, only if travelers exit the country on time and via designated ports. Otherwise, the bond is forfeited to the Treasury, ostensibly to offset illegal-immigration enforcement costs.
According to AP News, most adult applicants will likely be asked for $10,000, while children may be charged $5,000 unless specifically flagged as higher‑risk, in which case the maximum applies.
Consular officers will have sweeping discretion to determine whether the bond is needed, citing factors like nationality, social media posture, or even lack of economic documentation.
More from AP News:
In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the department said it would start a 12-month pilot program under which people from countries deemed to have high overstay rates and deficient internal document security controls could be required to post bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when they apply for a visa.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration is tightening requirements for visa applicants. Last week, the State Department announced that many visa renewal applicants would have to submit to an additional in-person interview, something that was not required in the past. In addition, the department is proposing that applicants for the Visa Diversity Lottery program have valid passports from their country of citizenship.
A preview of the bond notice, which was posted on the Federal Register website on Monday, said the pilot program would take effect within 15 days of its formal publication and is necessary to ensure that the U.S. government is not financially liable if a visitor does not comply with the terms of his or her visa.
“Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure and who are nationals of countries identified by the department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering citizenship by investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program,” the notice said.
The countries affected will be listed once the program takes effect, it said.
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