New US Visa Bonds: Do You Have To Pay ₹13.17 Lakh On Your Next Visit?

In a move on the basis of national security, the Unites States will require foreign visitors to post a bond of upto USD 15,000 or Rs 13.17 lakh to ensure they don't exceed their stay beyond their visa limit.  

This programme will be introduced under a pilot programme lastting for a year-long period to make sure travellers dont overstay their visit.

As per a Federal Registar notice pubished Tuesday, the programme will allow US Consular officers to impose such bonds on people visting from nations with high visa overstay rates.

The notice mentioned that bonds could also be applied to people coming from countries where screening and vetting information is deemed insufficient.

Thiss proposal comes at a time when the Trump administration is adoting stricter requisites for vis applicants. In the previous week, the State Department announced that many visa renewal applicants would have to submit to an additional in-person interview, something that was not required in the past.

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Dubbing foreign travellers as "aliens", Federal Registar notice read, “Aliens applying for visas as temporary visitors for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) and who are nationals of countries identified by the Department as having high visa overstay rates, where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient, or offering Citizenship by Investment, if the alien obtained citizenship with no residency requirement, may be subject to the pilot program. Consular officers may require covered non-immigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers.”

“….to insure that at the expiration of the time for which such alien has been admitted . . . or upon failure to maintain the status under which [the alien] was admitted…such alien will depart from the United States.”

Trump Administration's Visa Bonds

The new policy will be in effect on August 20, 2025 for a period of close to a year.

The bond imposition alternatives include USD 5,000, USD 10,000 or USD 15,000, and will generally be expected to require at least USD 10,000.

The notice stated that the funds will be refunded to travelers who leave the US in compliance with their visa terms.