The Department of State has finalized the Visa Bond Program, converting last year’s pilot into a permanent feature of U.S. visa policy. The final rule, published in the Federal Register on August 3, 2026, amends 22 CFR Part 41 and took effect that same day.
If your organization sends B-1 business visitors to the U.S., or you are a business traveler applying for a B-1/B-2 visa, the following is a summary of what you should know about the Visa Bond permanent program.
The Basics
Under the program, consular officers can require certain B-1/B-2 (business/tourist) visa applicants to post a bond — $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 — as a condition of visa issuance. The requirement applies to nationals of countries the State Department identifies as having high overstay rates, weak information-sharing practices, or deficiencies in identity verification, screening, or document security. Visa Waiver Program countries are automatically excluded.
The covered-country list is published on travel.state.gov and will be updated on a rolling basis: additions take 15 days’ notice; country removals are effective immediately.
How the Bond Works
- Amount: Officers default to $15,000, adjusting down to $10,000 or up to $20,000 based on the applicant’s individual circumstances (employment, income, ties to the U.S., purpose of travel).
- Payment: Bonds are posted electronically through a Treasury-run payment platform, in U.S. dollars only.
- Travel condition: Bonded travelers must enter and depart the U.S. through a commercial airport or CBP Preclearance location — no land or sea crossings.
- Refund: The bond is returned once the traveler complies with all visa terms and departs on time.
- Forfeiture: The full bond is forfeited for a substantial violation — most notably, overstaying, filing an untimely extension or change-of-status request, failing to depart within 10 days of a denied extension, or filing for asylum.
- No waiver process: There’s no formal application to waive the bond. Consular officers retain discretion to recommend a waiver in limited cases subject to approval by the Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs.
Why It Matters
The rule leans heavily on data from the 2025 pilot, which covered 50 countries. The final rule notes that’ overstays from those countries dropped from roughly 45,500 in FY2024 to fewer than 50 in the pilot’s first ten months — alongside an 83% drop in visa issuance from those same countries over the same period. That second number is worth emphasizing: a significant share of would-be travelers, including business travelers and potential customers, appear to be forgoing travel altogether rather than posting a bond.
For companies with global mobility programs, that’s an important takeaway. Even though the rule targets individual B-1/B-2 applicants rather than employers directly, an overseas employee or business partner from a covered country may face a bond obligation and added scrutiny that can affect trip planning, timelines, and budgets.
Our Perspective
As the Permanent Visa Bond Program is implemented, we will monitor:
- Which countries remain on the initial covered list, which are added and how it evolves over time.
- How the waiver request process will be implemented and whether it creates inconsistent outcomes for low-risk travelers from covered countries.
- How consular posts implement the $10,000/$15,000/$20,000 framework in practice, as the rule gives officers considerable discretion.
If you have business travelers from a country that either has been part of the pilot program or may be added to the bond list, building the possibility of a bond requirement into your travel budget planning is advisable. We will monitor the covered-country announcements closely and can help you assess exposure for upcoming trips. Please reach out to your Meltzer Hellrung professional if you have any questions.
