Mexico Not Included In New U.S. Visa Bond Program Requiring Deposits Of Up To $20,000

Washington, D.C. — The United States is making permanent a visa bond program that may require certain applicants for tourist and business visas to deposit as much as $20,000 USD before receiving permission to travel.

The final rule is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on August 3 and takes effect upon publication. It replaces a 12-month pilot program introduced on August 20, 2025.

Under the permanent program, applicants from designated countries who otherwise qualify for a B-1 business visa, B-2 tourist visa or combined B-1/B-2 visa may be required to post a refundable bond of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000. The pilot program used lower amounts of $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000.

The standard bond under the new rule is expected to be $15,000. A consular officer may reduce it to $10,000 based on an applicant’s financial circumstances or raise it to $20,000 when the officer determines that a larger amount is needed to ensure the traveler leaves the United States on time.

Factors may include the purpose of the trip, employment, income, education, professional skills and the applicant’s connections in the United States, according to the final rule.

The requirement does not apply to every person seeking a U.S. visitor visa. It is limited to nationals of countries selected by the State Department based on factors that may include high visa-overstay rates, inadequate identity or criminal-record information, weak document security and citizenship-by-investment programs that do not require residency.

The State Department currently lists 50 countries under the program, including Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Mexico is not on the current list of countries subject to visa bonds.

The requirement follows nationality, not residence. A Venezuelan citizen living legally in Mexico, for example, could still be subject to the bond when applying with a Venezuelan passport, regardless of where the application is submitted.

Venezuelan applicants face an additional complication. Since January 1, 2026, the United States has partially suspended the issuance of B-1/B-2 visas to Venezuelan nationals, subject to limited exceptions. The bond program does not override those restrictions. It would apply only when an applicant is otherwise eligible to receive a visa, including under an applicable exception.

Applicants should not pay a bond before being instructed to do so by a consular officer. The payment process begins after the visa interview, using Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 and the federal government’s Pay.gov platform. The State Department warns applicants not to send money through private companies or third-party websites.

A bond does not guarantee that a visa will be issued or that the traveler will be admitted at the U.S. border. Customs and Border Protection officers retain authority to determine admissibility at the port of entry.

Bond holders must enter and leave the United States by commercial air through an approved airport or a Customs and Border Protection preclearance location. Travel through land borders, seaports, charter aircraft or private aviation would not satisfy the program’s conditions.

The money is returned to the person who paid the bond when U.S. records confirm that the traveler left by the authorized departure date. It is also refundable if the visa holder never uses the visa before it expires or is denied admission upon arrival.

The government may declare the bond breached if the traveler overstays, fails to maintain legal status or seeks to change from the approved nonimmigrant status under circumstances covered by the bond terms.

According to the final rule, about 20,000 applications were subjected to bond requirements during the pilot period, but only about half resulted in payment. The government collected approximately $115 million in temporary deposits. Visa issuance among the affected countries fell 83 percent compared with the same 10-month period a year earlier.

The State Department said fewer than 50 overstays were recorded among travelers covered during the pilot’s first 10 months, compared with 45,488 overstays attributed to nationals of the same 50 countries during fiscal year 2024. The figures are the department’s justification for continuing the program, although the sharp decline in visa issuance means considerably fewer people from those countries received visas and traveled.

The list of affected countries may change. The State Department must give at least 15 days’ notice before adding a country, while removals may take effect immediately. Beginning October 1, 2027, the $20,000 maximum may also be adjusted for inflation.