US B-1/B2 Visa Bond Made Permanent: Bond Amounts Rise to $20,000

The US State Department has made its B-1/B2 visitor visa bond scheme permanent. A final rule published in the Federal Register on 3 August 2026 replaces the 12-month pilot that ran from 20 August 2025 and raises the bond amounts consular officers can require before issuing a visa.

What's Changing

• The pilot is now a permanent programme. The Visa Bond Program replaces the one-year pilot that ran from 20 August 2025 to 5 August 2026.
• Bond amounts have gone up. The tiers rise to $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, up from $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000 under the pilot. A consular officer sets the tier for each applicant based on their individual circumstances, including purpose of travel, employment and income.
• The bond is nationality-based, not residence-based. It applies to nationals of roughly 50 designated countries, chosen for elevated visa-overstay rates or gaps in identity verification and screening. Nationals of Visa Waiver Program (ESTA-eligible) countries are excluded.
• The bond is posted electronically, in US dollars, via a US Treasury platform, once a consular officer decides a visa can only be issued on that condition.

Who the Bond Applies To

The bond follows the passport, not the postcode. A traveller who lives in London or elsewhere in the UK but holds a passport from one of the designated countries can still be asked to post a bond before a US visitor visa is issued, even though they're applying from and returning to the UK. Most Paramount Visas clients travel on UK or EU passports and won't be affected, but it's worth checking if you, a family member, or a business visitor in your party holds a different nationality.

The current list of designated countries is maintained on the State Department's travel.state.gov site and can change, so check it directly rather than relying on a list published elsewhere.

Touring parties are worth a specific mention here. This is a B-1/B2 visitor visa measure, separate from the O-1 and P performance visas covered in our piece on the touring visa squeeze, but non-performing staff or accompanying family travelling on a designated-country passport could still be asked to post a bond even when the performers themselves are on O or P visas.

When It Takes Effect

The rule took effect immediately on publication, on 3 August 2026. There's no transition period: any B-1/B2 application from a national of a designated country processed on or after that date falls under the permanent programme and the new bond amounts.

Getting the Bond Back

A posted bond is refunded if the visa holder complies with the terms of the visa and the bond, including departing the US on time or filing a timely, compliant extension or change of status. It's forfeited for a substantial violation, such as overstaying the authorised period of admission or filing for asylum or other humanitarian protection. Visas issued under a bond may be single- or multiple-entry and are valid for three to twelve months, at the consular officer's discretion.

During the pilot, the deterrent effect was significant: around half of the roughly 20,000 applicants subject to a bond chose not to pay it, and B-1/B2 issuance to nationals of pilot countries fell by around 83% over the pilot's first ten months.

What This Means for You

If you or someone in your travel party holds a passport from a designated country, check the current list on travel.state.gov before applying and budget for the possibility of a bond as part of the overall cost and timeline of a US visitor visa application, not just the visa fee itself. Where a bond is required, keep records of your compliance with its terms (departure dates, any extension filed) so the refund process is straightforward once your trip is over.

Paramount Visas' personal applications team can check whether a client's nationality falls under the bond programme before you apply, and our work travel service supports business visitors who may be affected. Get in touch if you'd like your circumstances checked before you submit a B-1/B2 application.