As of October 21, 2026, the US visa bond is permanent. A State Department final rule published and effective on August 3, 2026 lets consular officers require certain B-1/B-2 visitor visa applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of getting the visa (Visas: Visa Bond Program, 91 FR 48757, GovInfo). The bond applies to nationals of countries on a State Department list, and nationals already covered by the 2025 pilot stayed covered when the rule took effect (91 FR 48757).
For most readers of this site, the direct impact is small: India and China were not on the most recent State Department list we could open (State Department, Countries Subject to Visa Bonds, archived July 13, 2026). It matters if you, a parent, or a business visitor you are inviting travels on a passport from Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nigeria, Venezuela or another listed country.
- The State Department final rule "Visas: Visa Bond Program" (91 FR 48757) took effect on August 3, 2026.
- It replaces the Visa Bond Pilot Program that ran from August 20, 2025 to August 5, 2026.
- Bonds are set at $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, and officers are expected to start at $15,000.
- The program covers only B-1/B-2 visitor visa applicants who are nationals of listed countries; 50 countries were covered during the pilot.
- Bonded travelers must enter and leave through commercial US airports or CBP Preclearance locations, not land or sea ports.
- Filing for asylum on Form I-589 forfeits the whole bond.
- From October 1, 2027, the $20,000 maximum adjusts for inflation every seven years.
What changed when the visa bond program became permanent?
The final rule, RIN 1400-AG33, rewrites 22 CFR 41.11(c) and finalizes the temporary rule that launched a 12-month Visa Bond Pilot Program on August 20, 2025 (91 FR 48757). The pilot rule had been effective from August 20, 2025 until August 5, 2026 (Visa Bond Pilot Program, 90 FR 37378, GovInfo). The State Department issued the permanent rule without notice and comment, relying on the Administrative Procedure Act exception for rules involving a foreign affairs function (91 FR 48757).
The permanent program is not a copy of the pilot. The main differences:
| Feature | Pilot (Aug 20, 2025 to Aug 5, 2026) | Permanent program (from Aug 3, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Bond amounts | $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 | $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 |
| Visa validity | Single entry within three months | Three months single entry, three months multiple entry, or up to 12 months multiple entry, depending on reciprocity |
| Period of admission | CBP generally limits admission to 30 days | CBP will generally grant the requested admission period |
| Ports of entry | Pre-selected airports at launch; later widened to all commercial airports and CBP Preclearance locations | Any commercial airport of entry or CBP Preclearance location; no land or sea ports |
| Inflation adjustment | None | Maximum adjusts from October 1, 2027, then every seven years |
| Status | Ended; replaced by the final rule | Final and in effect |
Sources: pilot column from the temporary final rule (90 FR 37378), except the later port-of-entry change, which comes from the State Department's pilot-era page (State Department, archived list); permanent column from the final rule (91 FR 48757).
The inflation adjustment uses the CPI-U, and the adjusted maximum is rounded up to the nearest $1,000 (91 FR 48757).
Who has to pay a US visa bond?
Only B-1 and B-2 visitor visa applicants who are nationals of listed countries. The statute, INA section 221(g)(3), also allows bonds for F student visa applicants, but the State Department limited the program to B visas because a visitor's authorized stay is fixed at the port of entry and typically lasts a matter of months (91 FR 48757). H-1B, L-1, O-1 and other work visas are not part of it (91 FR 48757).
A country can be listed if it has high overstay rates, deficient information sharing, insufficient identity verification and criminal records, or weak screening, vetting and document security, including in the granting of citizenship (91 FR 48757). Visa Waiver Program participation rules a country out (91 FR 48757). The State Department can add a country with 15 days' notice and remove one with immediate effect (91 FR 48757).
The most recent archived copy of the State Department's list (last updated May 13, 2026) names 50 countries: Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kyrgyz Republic, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe (State Department, archived list). Implementation dates ran from August 20, 2025 for Malawi and Zambia to April 2, 2026 for the last twelve additions (State Department, archived list). Business Today reported on October 5, 2026 that the State Department updated the list on October 2, 2026, that it covers 50 countries, and that India is not among them (Business Today, October 5, 2026). We could not open the live State Department page to confirm the October update directly, so check it before you apply.
Coverage follows the passport, not the place of birth. The State Department's page says the bond applies to "Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries" who is otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, regardless of where the person applies (State Department, archived list). That is different from the country of chargeability rule that sets your green card queue by place of birth.
How much is the bond, and who decides?
The consular officer decides, at the interview. The default is $15,000. The rule says officers are expected to set the bond at $15,000 unless the applicant could not pay that amount while still covering the trip, in which case it drops to $10,000, or unless the applicant's US contacts suggest $15,000 would not be enough, in which case it rises to $20,000 (91 FR 48757). Officers weigh purpose of travel, employment, income, skills and education (91 FR 48757).
The State Department said it set the amounts after looking at the cost of removal, which DHS puts at about $18,042 per person for the full immigration enforcement lifecycle (91 FR 48757).
There is no way to apply for an exemption:
"There will be no procedure for visa applicants to apply for a waiver of the bond requirement." 22 CFR 41.11(c)(3), as revised by 91 FR 48757 (August 3, 2026)
The Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs can still waive the bond for a person, country or category, and consular officers may recommend a waiver in very limited cases, such as travel by US government employees or urgent humanitarian needs (91 FR 48757).
How do you post the bond?
You apply for the B-1/B-2 visa in the normal way and pay the usual visa fee. If the officer finds you otherwise eligible and covered, the officer refuses the visa under INA section 221(g) for the time being, tells you the bond amount, and sends you a link to post it (91 FR 48757). Payment goes through the Treasury's Visa Bond Program platform, in US dollars, electronically, with a DHS bond form submitted through the same link (91 FR 48757). The rule refers to the new form as DHS Form I-352B and says the bond is paid via pay.gov (91 FR 48757). Someone else can post the bond on your behalf (91 FR 48757).
Two warnings from the State Department: post a bond only after a consular officer tells you to, and never through a third-party website (State Department, archived list). A bond does not guarantee the visa (State Department, archived list). If the officer later finds you ineligible, the visa is denied and the bond is cancelled (91 FR 48757).
When do you get the money back, and when is it forfeited?
The bond is cancelled and refunded when DHS records show, among other cases, that the visa expired without travel, that you departed on time through a commercial airport, or that CBP found you inadmissible and cancelled the visa (91 FR 48757). No interest is paid, the refund goes to the original form of payment, and it can be offset through the Treasury Offset Program (91 FR 48757). If you never travel, you can ask a consulate abroad to cancel the visa and the bond early (91 FR 48757).
The whole amount is forfeited on a substantial violation. The regulation lists five:
"(A) Remaining in the United States after expiration of the temporary period of admission; (B) Filing an untimely request for a change of status; (C) Not departing the United States within 10 days after denial of a timely and properly filed request for extension of stay or change of status;" 22 CFR 41.11(c)(4)(ii), as revised by 91 FR 48757 (August 3, 2026)
The other two are filing a late request for an extension of stay, and filing for asylum or any other humanitarian protection submitted on Form I-589 (91 FR 48757). DHS makes the final breach decision and notifies the person who paid, and appeal rights follow DHS form instructions and 8 CFR 103.3 (91 FR 48757).
The travel rule is strict. Bonded visitors must enter and depart through commercial airports of entry, including CBP Preclearance locations, and may not use land or sea ports (91 FR 48757). A short trip to Canada or Mexico under automatic revalidation is allowed, but the final departure must be from a commercial US airport (91 FR 48757).
Why did the State Department make the visa bond permanent?
It says the pilot worked. According to the rule, nationals of the 50 pilot countries had 45,488 overstays in FY 2024, and fewer than 50 in the first 10 months of the pilot (91 FR 48757). The same rule reports that B visa issuance for those countries fell by 83 percent compared with the same 10 months a year earlier (91 FR 48757).
The State Department had expected about 2,000 bonded applicants during the pilot. About 20,000 applications ended up requiring a bond, close to half resulted in a bond payment, for a temporary cost to the public of about $115 million (91 FR 48757). The rule says it expects the permanent program to keep reducing B-1/B-2 demand from covered countries (91 FR 48757).
What this means for you
If you are an Indian or Chinese national on an H-1B, F-1 or green card track, the US visa bond, on the latest list we could verify, does not apply to your own visas or to parents who travel on Indian or Chinese passports (State Department, archived list). Relatives who already hold green cards face different travel questions, covered in our guide to reentry permits.
If you or your family hold a passport from a listed country, plan around three points:
- Plans beyond a visit need advice first. If the trip is really the first step of a move, talk to your attorney before the visa interview; our guide to misrepresentation explains what an inaccurate application can cost.
- Change of status carries more risk. A timely change of status from B-2 is not a breach in itself, but USCIS may treat the bond as a negative discretionary factor, and a denial starts a 10-day clock to leave (91 FR 48757).
- Adjustment of status is unclear. The final rule's breach list does not mention filing Form I-485, and the rule does not explain how a bonded visitor who becomes eligible to adjust status is treated (91 FR 48757). The State Department's pilot-era visa bond page, however, said DHS would send USCIS cases where the visa holder "applies to adjust out of nonimmigrant status, including claiming asylum" to decide whether the bond was breached (State Department, archived list). That is a question for your attorney before anyone files.
- Check the current State Department list, not a cached copy.
- Budget for the bond in US dollars on top of the visa fee and airfare.
- Pay only through the link the consular officer sends.
- Book flights that enter and leave through commercial US airports.
- Keep proof of departure, and do not let the authorized stay lapse.
Where to start
If a visitor visa is part of a larger plan to work or settle in the US, start with our free evaluation at /evaluate/, which compares your record against the O-1, EB-1A and EB-2 NIW criteria. Frank, our AI assistant, can then find real opportunities for the criteria you are missing. When you are ready to file, petitions are reviewed and filed by our partner law firm, Lai & Turner.
Sources
All checked October 21, 2026.
- Department of State, "Visas: Visa Bond Program," final rule, 91 FR 48757, FR Doc. 2026-15726 (August 3, 2026). Effective date, bond amounts, country criteria, visa validity, airports, waiver, refund, breach list, pilot results and the revised 22 CFR 41.11(c).
- Department of State, "Visas: Visa Bond Pilot Program," temporary final rule, 90 FR 37378, FR Doc. 2025-14826 (August 5, 2025). Pilot dates, $5,000 to $15,000 amounts, 30-day admission, single-entry visas and pre-selected airports.
- Department of State, "Countries Subject to Visa Bonds," archived July 13, 2026 (last updated May 13, 2026). The 50 listed countries and implementation dates, passport-based coverage, the later widening of pilot ports of entry to all commercial airports, third-party payment warning and breach referrals to USCIS.
- Business Today, "US imposes up to $20,000 visa bond on 50 countries, India left out" (October 5, 2026). Secondary report of the October 2, 2026 list update and India's absence.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries are subject to the US visa bond?
The State Department publishes the list on travel.state.gov. During the pilot it covered 50 countries, mostly in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Nigeria, Venezuela, Cuba and Georgia. Nationals of those countries stayed covered when the permanent rule took effect on August 3, 2026. The Department can add a country with 15 days' notice and remove one immediately, so check the official list before applying.
Do Indian or Chinese citizens need a US visa bond?
Not based on the latest lists available. Neither India nor China was on the State Department's list of countries subject to visa bonds, and an October 5, 2026 Business Today report on the list's October 2 update said India was not on it. The bond applies by nationality and passport, so an Indian-born person who travels on a passport from a listed country, such as Nepal or Bangladesh, could still be asked to post one. The list can change on 15 days' notice, so check it before applying.
Is the US visa bond refundable?
Yes, if the traveler complies. The bond is cancelled and the money returned when, for example, the visa expires unused, the traveler departs on time through a commercial airport, or CBP refuses admission and cancels the visa. No interest is paid, the refund goes back to the original form of payment, and it can be reduced through the Treasury Offset Program for unpaid federal or state debts.
Can I change status from B-2 to F-1 or H-1B if I posted a visa bond?
Filing a timely extension or change of status does not by itself breach the bond under the final rule, and if the change is granted you are not in breach as long as you comply with the conditions of the new status. Filing late is a breach, and if the request is denied you must leave within 10 days. USCIS may also treat the bond as a negative discretionary factor. Ask your attorney before filing anything.
Green Card Guide AI is not a law firm and this article is not legal advice. It describes evidence-building strategy in general terms; your attorney determines what belongs in your petition and how it's argued.
