US Visa Bond Program 2026: $10,000–$20,000 B-1/B-2 Bonds Explained

If you are a national of a country on the State Department’s visa bond list, your B-1/B-2 interview can end differently from what you expect: the officer finds you otherwise eligible, tells you a cash bond of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 is a condition of issuance, and the visa is held under section 221(g) until the money is posted.

That is no longer a short experiment. A pilot that began on 20 August 2025 has been made permanent by a State Department final rule published in the Federal Register on 3 August 2026. This guide walks through what the rule actually says, without the rumours that circulate around it.

What the visa bond program is

Section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act has long allowed a consular officer to require a bond from a visitor applicant “to insure” that the traveler leaves when their permitted stay ends. Historically, officers were not instructed to use it. The 2025 pilot changed that in practice, and the 2026 final rule (Public Notice 13089, amending 22 CFR Part 41) keeps it as a standing programme.

Key scope points, all from the rule text:

• Only B-1/B-2 (business and tourism) visas. The statute would also permit bonds for student (F) visas, but the rule deliberately limits the programme to B visas, because a visitor’s stay is fixed by CBP at the port of entry and typically lasts months.
• Only certain nationalities. The rule describes covered countries as those with high overstay rates, weak information-sharing, insufficient identity verification and criminal records, or travel-document and screening weaknesses. The list is published on travel.state.gov, at least 15 days before a country is added, and a country can be removed with immediate effect.
• Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries are not covered. The rule focuses on non-VWP countries, and VWP participation precludes a country’s inclusion. Most VWP travellers use ESTA rather than a visa; see the B-1/B-2 vs ESTA comparison if you are unsure which route applies to you.
• Nationals of pilot countries carry over. Anyone from a country that was on the pilot list continues to be covered when the final rule took effect.

Because the list changes, treat any third-party list of countries (including in this guide) as out of date the day you read it. Check the State Department’s visa bond page directly, or ask the consular section, before you plan.

How much: the three tiers

The bond is up to $20,000, set by the consular officer at the interview in one of three amounts. The rule tells officers to:

Officers consider the “totality of the circumstances”, including what you said about your purpose of travel, employment, income, skills and education. In other words, the answers you give at the interview — the same ones that decide the underlying 214(b) question — also feed into the bond amount.

The maximum is due to be adjusted for inflation starting 1 October 2027, and every seven years after, using the CPI-U and rounded up to the nearest $1,000.

Two things the bond is not:

• It is not a fee. It is a deposit held for you and returned on compliance. The $185 MRV application fee and the $250 Visa Integrity Fee are separate costs.
• It is not a guarantee of admission. CBP still decides whether to admit you and for how long.

The process, step by step

1. Apply as normal — DS-160, MRV fee, interview. See the B-1/B-2 guide.
2. The officer tells you at the interview if you’re covered and the amount. Your case is refused under INA 221(g) for further information about posting the bond; the rule states that this denial “may be overcome” once the bond is posted.
3. You receive a link (by the contact details on your DS-160) to a Treasury-operated payment platform. You post the bond and submit the DHS bond form there. Someone else can post it for you; the person who pays becomes the “obligor” and is the one notified of a breach.
4. Pay in US dollars only, electronically. Options may include wire, ACH, digital wallets and cards, depending on where you live, and some may not be available in your country. The rule says it is the applicant’s sole responsibility to make sure payment can be completed, and you pay any exchange or card fees. Funds can take several business days to settle.
5. The visa is issued if you remain eligible — with a visa-bond annotation, valid for three months single-entry, three months multiple-entry, or up to 12 months multiple-entry, depending on reciprocity. If the officer decides you are not eligible after all, the visa is denied and the bond is cancelled.

Practical planning note: because the visa sits in 221(g) until payment settles, leave a real buffer between your interview and your departure date. Don’t buy non-refundable tickets until the visa is in your passport.

The conditions you accept

Posting the bond means agreeing to its terms. The ones that trip people up:

• Airport-only travel. You must enter and depart through commercial airports, including CBP Preclearance locations, and may not use land or sea ports. You can visit contiguous territories after entry if readmission follows the automatic revalidation rules, but your final departure must be from a US commercial airport, because that is how the government confirms you left.
• No unauthorized work. Compliance with your status includes not accepting unauthorized employment.
• Leave on time. Depart on or before the date CBP authorizes on your I-94.

When you get the money back

The principal is returned — to the original form of payment, in US dollars — when a DHS system shows compliance in situations such as:

• your visa expires and you never travelled;
• your visa expires and you are outside the US, having left through a commercial airport and complied with the visa terms;
• you left on time through a commercial airport and the visa expired during your lawful stay;
• CBP found you inadmissible and cancelled the visa at the port of entry; or
• you left on time before the extended date granted on an approved extension or change of status.

No interest accrues. Returns can be offset against other federal debts through the Treasury Offset Program. And if you decide not to travel at all, you can request an appointment with consular staff outside the US so the visa is physically cancelled and the bond released early.

What forfeits the bond

The whole amount is forfeited on a substantial violation. The rule lists:

• violating a condition of your status set out in the bond form;
• filing an untimely change-of-status or extension request;
• staying past your authorized period — or, if you filed a timely request that is then denied, not leaving within 10 days of the denial; and
• filing for asylum or other humanitarian protection on Form I-589.

An automated review can flag a case, but DHS makes the final breach finding and notifies the obligor in writing; the appeal rights are set out in the bond form and 8 CFR 103.3. Filing a timely extension is not itself a violation, but the rule warns USCIS may treat the existence of a bond as a negative discretionary factor.

What the numbers say — and don’t

The State Department reports that during the first ten months of the pilot, 50 countries were added, and fewer than 50 overstays were recorded, versus 45,488 overstays from those same countries in FY2024. It also reports that visa issuance rates for these applicants fell by 83 percent compared with the same period a year earlier (as of July 2026), and says some applicants appear to self-select out by not paying the bond.

For a would-be visitor, that last figure is the real planning takeaway: a bond requirement is a substantial financial barrier, and the rule itself concedes it changes who completes the process. It does not, however, change the underlying eligibility test. Strong evidence of ties to your home country and a clear, credible trip purpose still matter — they influence both whether you are approved and which bond tier you are offered.

How to prepare

• Confirm coverage early. Check the official list for your nationality before booking anything; don’t rely on forum posts.
• Plan the cash. Bank transfers from some countries have caps or delays. Ask your bank about USD wire limits before your interview, and decide who (you or a relative) would act as obligor.
• Keep your itinerary airport-based, including your return leg.
• Keep a timeline. Diary your I-94 date and leave a margin. A late exit is the fastest way to lose the deposit.
• Rehearse the interview — see the US tourist visa interview questions.
• Ask about alternatives. If your country is not on the list, you’re unaffected; if your country is in the Visa Waiver Program, it is not covered by the bond programme.

FAQ

Does everyone applying for a US visitor visa have to post a bond? No. The program covers B-1/B-2 applicants who are nationals of countries the State Department designates and lists on travel.state.gov. The list can change on a rolling basis, with at least 15 days’ notice before a country is added and immediate effect when a country is removed. A consular officer confirms the requirement and the amount during your interview.

How much is the bond? Up to $20,000, in one of three tiers: $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000. The rule says officers are expected to default to $15,000, use $10,000 if they believe the applicant cannot pay $15,000 yet can still fund the trip, and use $20,000 if the applicant’s circumstances suggest $15,000 would not be enough to ensure departure.

Do I get the bond money back? Yes, if you comply. The principal is returned when, for example, the visa expires unused, or you leave through a commercial US airport on or before your authorized departure date and followed the terms of your visa. No interest is paid, and you bear any exchange or bank fees. The whole amount is forfeited if you substantially violate the bond terms, such as overstaying or filing an untimely extension or change-of-status request.

Can I enter or leave the US by land or by sea on a bonded visa? No. As a condition of the bond you must enter and depart through commercial airports, including CBP Preclearance locations. Brief onward trips to contiguous territories are possible if readmission follows the automatic-revalidation rules, but your final departure must still be from a commercial US airport.

Is there a way to apply for a bond waiver? There is no waiver application process. The rule leaves waivers to the Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs or a designee, who may waive the requirement for a person, country or category if it would not be contrary to the national interest. Consular officers may recommend waivers only in very limited cases, such as travel by US government employees or urgent humanitarian needs.

Sources

• U.S. Department of State, Visas: Visa Bond Program, final rule (Public Notice 13089; 22 CFR Part 41), Federal Register, 3 August 2026
• U.S. Department of State, Visa Bond Pilot Program (temporary final rule, 2025)
• travel.state.gov — where the covered-country list is published

This is preparation guidance, not legal advice, and the covered-country list and procedures can change with short notice — confirm everything with the State Department or the consular section handling your application. When VisaMet launches, our eligibility check will flag cost surprises like this before you book. Join the waitlist for early access.