Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview.
The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352. Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov.
Visa Bond requirements are outlined in INA Section 221(g)(3) and the Temporary Final Rule (TFR) establishing the pilot program. Visa overstay rates are based on the B1/B2 overstay rates per the Department of Homeland Security’s Entry/Exit Overstay Report.
This requirement applies regardless of place of application.
Applicants should submit Form I-352 to post a bond only after a consular officer directs them to do so. Applicants will receive a direct link to pay through Pay.gov. They must not use any third-party website for posting the bond. The U.S. Government is not responsible for any money paid outside of its systems.
A bond does not guarantee visa issuance. If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, the fees will not be returned.
Required ports of entry
As a condition of the bond, all visa holders who have posted a visa bond must enter and exit the United States through the designated ports of entry listed below. Not doing this might lead to a denied entry or a departure that is not properly recorded. Effective immediately, ports of entry include:
- All commercial air ports of entry, including CBP preclearance locations.
- Visa bond holders may NOT use charter air, general aviation, land, or sea ports of entry.
Visa bond compliance
Visa Bond terms are set on the bond form (Department of Homeland Security’s Form I-352 Immigration Bonds) and on Travel.State.Gov. The bond will be canceled and the money returned automatically in these situations:
- The Department of Homeland Security records the visa holder’s departure from the United States on or before the date to which they are authorized to stay in the United States, or
- The visa holder does not travel to the United States before the expiration of the visa, or
- The visa holder applies for and is denied admission at the U.S. port of entry.
Visa bond breach
The Department of Homeland Security will send cases where the visa holder may have broken the visa bond terms to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This is to determine if there was a breach. It includes, but is not limited to, these situations:
- The Department of Homeland Security records indicate that the visa holder departed from the United States after the date to which he or she is authorized to stay in the United States.
- The visa holder stays in the United States after the date to which he or she is authorized to do so and does not leave.
- The visa holder applies to adjust out of nonimmigrant status, including claiming asylum.
Do FIFA World Cup 2026™ travelers have to pay the visa bond?
- The Administration will waive the visa bond requirement for certain individuals traveling to the United States for the World Cup
- The bond requirement will be waived for athletes and team members – including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives – who are nationals of countries that are competing in the World Cup and demonstrate that they meet all requirements for the visa.
- The visa bond will also be waived for nationals of competing countries who by April 15 purchased World Cup tickets and opted in to the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (PASS) through the FIFA website, and demonstrate that they are otherwise fully eligible for a U.S. visitor visa.
- As with every visa application, no visa is issued until the consular officer completes rigorous screening and vetting and determines the applicant meets all requirements under U.S. law.
