B-1/B-2 visa: U.S. bond becomes permanent at $20,000 from August 3, 2026

The one-year pilot program becomes permanent on August 3, 2026, with three fixed bond levels: $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, depending on the applicant’s assessed risk. Visa Waiver Program participants, including French travelers, are exempt.

What changes under the August 3 rule

The permanent program is established by Federal Register document 13089 (RIN 1400-AG33), amending Title 22 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 41. The summary states that the rule "finalizes the temporary rule in effect since August 20, 2025, which launched a 12-month pilot visa bond program, and establishes a permanent bond program." It draws on Section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which empowers consular officers to demand a bond "to assure that the alien will depart the United States at the expiration of his authorized stay." The final rule states that officers "may require non-immigrant visa applicants covered by the rule to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of issuance."

Two key differences distinguish the permanent program from the pilot: the $5,000 tier is eliminated, and the bond amount will be indexed to the U.S. Consumer Price Index starting October 1, 2027, and every seven years thereafter, rounded up to the nearest thousand dollars.

How much you’ll pay and the criteria used

The rule sets three fixed tiers, with $15,000 designated as the default amount and the other two tiers permitted under specific conditions. Consular officers must justify any amount other than $15,000 by pointing to "the totality of circumstances, including information provided by the applicant on the form or in interview regarding purpose of travel, current employment, income, skills, and education level."

Conversion based on the exchange rate on July 31, 2026: 1 USD ≈ 0.8707 EUR.

Payment is accepted only in U.S. dollars via an electronic platform operated by the U.S. Treasury. Bank fees and currency conversion costs remain the responsibility of the applicant. The rule notes that certain national laws may restrict available payment options.

Who is affected (and who isn’t)

The bond requirement applies to non-immigrant B-1/B-2 visa applicants from countries that do not participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and who, according to the rule, exhibit high overstay rates, insufficient information-sharing, or gaps in identity verification and criminal background checks.

If your travel qualifies under the ESTA program, you are exempt. The rule explicitly limits the bond to applicants whose countries "are not members of the VWP." For tourist or business stays of up to 90 days, ESTA remains the standard procedure.

Dual nationals using a passport from a country on the list will have their application assessed under that passport’s nationality, even if they hold another citizenship.

The full list of affected countries is maintained on travel.state.gov. Additions take effect 15 days after publication, while removals apply immediately. Countries already subject to the pilot at the time this rule takes effect remain covered. During the pilot, 50 countries were included.

If your nationality places you within the scope of the bond requirement, verify the current list before incurring visa fees—it can change without notice and countries may exit the program at any time.

Travel constraints tied to the visa bond

Holding a bonded visa does not grant standard entry privileges. Issued for 3 months single-entry, 3 months multiple-entry, or up to 12 months multiple-entry (subject to reciprocity), the visa comes with an annotation indicating the bond deposit. Travelers must note an important restriction: a bonded visa holder "may enter and exit the United States only at a commercial airport," including U.S. pre-clearance points, and may not use land-border or maritime ports of entry. Round-trips to Canada or Mexico are permitted after initial entry under automatic revalidation rules, but the final departure must occur at a U.S. commercial airport.

Getting your bond back—or losing it

The bond is refunded automatically if entry and exit records from DHS show the traveler complied with the visa terms. Refund conditions include: visa expiration without entry to the U.S., timely departure via a U.S. commercial airport within authorized stay, compliant departure after an approved stay extension, or denial of admission at the port of entry with visa cancellation. Conversely, the bond may be forfeited for material violations. The rule states that failure to comply "would generally result in forfeiture of the bond amount," which may be applied to removal costs. DHS determines violations and sends written notice; appeals are handled under existing regulations."

There is no formal waiver process. The rule states unequivocally, "there will be no procedure to apply for a bond waiver." However, consular officers may recommend a waiver in narrowly defined cases such as travel on behalf of the U.S. government or a humanitarian emergency, with final discretion resting with the Department of State.

Pilot program figures underscore the impact

The Department of State cites pilot results to justify making the program permanent: in FY 2024, the 50 participating countries recorded 45,488 overstays; in the first ten months of the pilot, that number fell to below 50. The rule also reports an 83 % drop in visa issuances year-over-year, attributing the decline to applicants "who seem to self-select by declining to pay the bond." Around 20,000 applications were subjected to the bond requirement during the pilot, with temporary revenue estimated at $115 million.