Financial Barriers as Policy

The Trump administration has expanded the US visa bond requirement, adding seven countries to a list that now totals 13, most of them in Africa. Effective Jan. 1, 2026, affected travelers may be required to post bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 before entering the United States, sharply increasing the cost of lawful travel.

The newly added countries are Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan, according to a notice published on travel.state.gov.

Africa-Dominated List

With the expansion, 11 of the 13 countries subject to the bond requirement are African. Earlier designations in August and October 2025 included Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Gambia, Malawi, and Zambia, reinforcing the regional concentration of the policy.

US officials say the bonds are designed to reduce visa overstays. The State Department argues the measure is effective and notes that payment does not guarantee visa approval, while funds are refunded if a visa is denied or once compliance is proven.

Layered Entry Controls

The bond requirement complements broader entry restrictions, including mandatory in-person interviews, disclosure of years of social media activity, and detailed travel and residency histories for applicants from visa-required countries.

While presented as a compliance tool, the bond effectively introduces a financial filter that, in many listed countries, exceeds average annual incomes by a wide margin, narrowing access to US travel well before overstays become a factor.