January 1, 2026 · Program update

Seven countries added to the U.S. Visa Bond Program on January 1, 2026

Effective January 1, 2026, seven more countries joined the U.S. Visa Bond Program: Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan. That brings the program to 13 countries.

The expansion coincided with the effective date of Presidential Proclamation 10998, which imposed a separate partial entry ban on a number of other countries. The seven countries added to the bond program today are not subject to that ban — their citizens can still receive B1/B2 visas once the bond is posted.

Countries added January 1, 2026

What this means for applicants

• If your B1/B2 visa is approved, the consular officer may require a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 ($10,000 is the default) before the visa is issued.
• You have 30 days to post the bond — miss the window and the visa application is cancelled.
• The bond is filed via DHS Form I-352 and paid through the U.S. Treasury's Pay.gov.
• Bond holders must enter and exit the U.S. through commercial airports; the bond is automatically cancelled when you depart on time.
• You don't have to lock up the money yourself — VisaBond posts the bond for you for a one-time fee.

Source: U.S. Department of State — Countries Subject to Visa Bonds.