US Expands $15,000 Visa Bond Requirement to Seven New Nations, Mostly in Africa, Official Notice Shows

The US State Department has added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan to the list of countries whose passport holders must post bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to apply for entry into the US.

The designations took effect on January 1, according to a notice published on the official US government website.

This brings the total to 13 countries on the list, mostly African nations, which already included Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, The Gambia, Malawi, and Zambia.

This move by the US Administration to make immigration more difficult adds to existing requirements such as in-person visa interviews and the disclosure of social media history, previous travel details, and personal and family living conditions.

Payment of the bond does not guarantee visa issuance, though the amount will be refunded if the visa is denied or once the holder demonstrates full compliance with all requirements, according to media reports.

Earlier, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have reciprocally banned visa issuance for US citizens.