US Now Requires Up to $15,000 Visa Bonds From Six African Countries

A Pilot Program With Steep Deposits

If you’re from Malawi, Zambia, The Gambia, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, or Tanzania, visiting the United States just got a lot more expensive.

Starting in August 2025, the State Department began requiring tourists and business travelers from these countries to post refundable bonds of up to $15,000 before receiving a visa.

The money comes back if travelers leave on time. If they overstay or apply for asylum, the government keeps it.

One country pushed back hard enough to get removed from the list, and critics are calling the whole program a form of financial discrimination.

Overstay Rates Triggered the Program

The State Department launched the 12-month pilot program on August 20, 2025, targeting countries with high visa overstay rates.

According to the Department of Homeland Security’s 2024 report, Malawi had a 14.3% overstay rate and Zambia had 11. 1%.

The program also covers countries where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or those offering citizenship by investment without a residency requirement.

The legal authority comes from Section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a provision that has existed for decades but was rarely used because officials considered the process too cumbersome.

The Bond Has Three Price Tiers

Consular officers set bond amounts at $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 based on each applicant’s personal circumstances.

Officers consider the traveler’s purpose of visit, current employment, income, skills, and education when deciding which tier applies.

Someone with strong ties to their home country and a steady job might get the $5,000 rate. Someone with fewer roots and less income documentation could face the full $15,000.

Applicants must submit Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 and pay through the Treasury Department’s Pay. gov platform only after a consular officer directs them to do so.

Three Airports Are the Only Options

As a condition of the bond, all visa holders must enter and exit the United States through one of three designated airports:

Boston Logan International, John F.Kennedy International in New York, or Washington Dulles International. Using any other airport could result in denied entry or a departure that isn’t properly recorded.

Failure to comply with these arrival and departure requirements may result in a determination that the bond terms were not upheld.

That means even travelers who leave on time could lose their money if they fly out of the wrong airport.

Visas Last 30 Days With Single Entry

Visas issued under the pilot program are valid for a maximum of three months and allow only a single entry to the United States.

Customs and Border Protection will admit these visa holders for a maximum stay of 30 days in most cases.

That’s a significant restriction compared to standard B-1/B-2 visas, which typically allow stays of up to six months and can be valid for ten years with multiple entries.

The short window means travelers have little flexibility for extended business trips, family visits, or tourism beyond a single destination.

Timely Departure Triggers Automatic Refunds

The full visa bond amount will be returned if the applicant follows all terms of their nonimmigrant visa status and the visa bond.

The bond is refundable if the visa holder complies with all terms and departs on or before the end of the authorized stay.

The bond will also be canceled and the money returned if the visa holder does not travel to the United States before the visa expires, or if the visa holder is denied admission at the port of entry.

Refunds are processed automatically through the same Pay.gov system used for the initial payment, with no accrued interest.

Overstaying or Claiming Asylum Forfeits Everything

The Department of Homeland Security will send cases where the visa holder may have broken the visa bond terms to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for review.

Breach situations include departing after the authorized date, staying without leaving, or applying to adjust out of nonimmigrant status, including claiming asylum.

The bond obligation becomes due and payable if the traveler violates any condition of their status, files an untimely extension application, or remains after their admission period expires.

The forfeited funds go toward immigration enforcement costs, which DHS estimates at about $17,121 per person.

Malawi and Zambia Were First

On August 5, 2025, Zambia and Malawi became the inaugural entries on the visa bond list.

Together, Zambia and Malawi accounted for just 625 B-1/B-2 overstays in 2023, representing only 0.2% of all global overstayers.

By comparison, an estimated 20,811 Brazilians and 40,884 Colombians overstayed their visas that same year, but neither country appears on the bond list.

The Gambia was added in October, followed by Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Tanzania on October 23, 2025.

Mali Retaliated and Got Removed

On October 8, the U.S. announced that Malians would be required to post bonds starting October 23, 2025.

Mali responded on October 11 by imposing a reciprocal $10,000 bond requirement on American nationals, effective the next day.

Mali’s Foreign Ministry said the U.S. program breached a 2005 accord guaranteeing long-term visa access between the two nations.

On October 23, the same day Mali’s bonds were supposed to take effect, the U.S. published a revised list that excluded Mali. Mali has not yet responded, and its visa bond requirement for American citizens remains in place.

CAIRS Call It a Legalized Shakedown

The Council on American-Islamic Relations described the system as a form of exploitation, calling it a “legalized shakedown” in a statement.

“This is not about national security,” said CAIR’s government affairs director Robert McCaw. “It’s about weaponizing immigration policy to extort vulnerable visitors, punish disfavored countries, and turn America’s welcome mat into a paywall.”

Given that Malawi’s per capita income is $540 and Zambia’s is $1,260, a bond of $15,000 is likely to discourage a large amount of travel regardless of any intention to overstay.

Malawi’s Human Rights Commission head called the policy “unfair” and “a serious financial burden” for genuine travelers.

The Pilot Runs Through August 2026

The program is effective from August 20, 2025 until August 5, 2026.

The State Department says data received from this pilot will be used to inform future decision-making on the possible use of visa bonds to address national security and foreign policy priorities.

The department expects around 2,000 people will post visa bonds during the pilot program. If the data shows bonds reduce overstays without creating diplomatic blowback, the program could expand.

If countries keep retaliating like Mali did, the State Department may have to reconsider.

For now, six African nations remain on the list, and their citizens face a choice: pay thousands upfront or skip the trip entirely.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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