August 3, 2025 – Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has proposed a pilot program that would require some business and tourist visa applicants to submit a security bond of up to $15,000 as a condition for entering the United States.
According to an advance notice set to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the department will launch a 12-month pilot initiative targeting nationals from countries identified as having high rates of visa overstays, weak internal document controls, or offering citizenship-by-investment programs without requiring physical residence.
Applicants from these countries may be asked to submit a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as part of their B-1/B-2 visa application (temporary business or tourism).
This move comes amid a broader trend of tightening U.S. visa regulations, first initiated under the Trump administration. Just last week, the Department announced that many applicants for visa renewals will now be required to undergo an additional in-person interview, a step that was previously waived in many cases.
Furthermore, DOS is also proposing that applicants for the Diversity Visa Lottery Program must hold a valid passport from their country of citizenship at the time of application.
The Department emphasized that the new bond requirement aims to ensure financial accountability if a visitor violates the terms of their visa. “The goal is to prevent the U.S. government from bearing the financial burden of visa violations,” the notice explains.
The countries affected by the pilot program will be named upon its official implementation, expected within 15 days of publication. However, nationals of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries will not be subject to this requirement. Some individual applicants may also be exempt based on their specific circumstances.
Although visa bonds have been proposed in the past, they have never been broadly implemented. The State Department has historically discouraged the idea, citing the complexity of bond collection and reimbursement, and the potential for misperceptions among the public.
Still, DOS notes that its previous opposition “was not based on recent evidence,” as visa bonds have not been widely enforced in any recent period.
