The United States has expanded its visa bond pilot program, requiring certain applicants from designated countries, including Nigeria, to post a refundable bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as a condition for obtaining a B-1/B-2 visitor visa (for business or tourism).
the state department notice reads “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,”
Visa bonds serve as financial guarantees imposed by the U.S. Department of State on nationals from countries identified as having high visa overstay rates or other specified risk factors.
The updated list, released by the State Department on January 6, 2026, now includes 38 countries, with 24 from Africa, including Nigeria.
The requirement takes effect on varying dates by country; for Nigeria, it begins on January 21, 2026.
Countries affected include Algeria (21 January 2026), Angola (21 January 2026), Antigua and Barbuda (21 January 2026), Bangladesh (21 January 2026), Benin (21 January 2026), Bhutan (1 January 2026), Botswana (1 January 2026), Burundi (21 January 2026), Cabo Verde (21 January 2026), Central African Republic (1 January 2026), Côte d’Ivoire (21 January 2026), Cuba (21 January 2026), Djibouti (21 January 2026), Dominica (21 January 2026).
Others are; Fiji (21 January 2026), Gabon (21 January 2026), The Gambia (11 October 2025), Guinea (1 January 2026), Guinea-Bissau (1 January 2026), Kyrgyzstan (21 January 2026), Malawi (20 August 2025), Mauritania (23 October 2025), Namibia (1 January 2026), Nepal (21 January 2026).
The rest are; Nigeria (21 January 2026), São Tomé and Príncipe (23 October 2025), Senegal (21 January 2026), Tajikistan (21 January 2026), Tanzania (23 October 2025), Togo (21 January 2026), Tonga (21 January 2026), Turkmenistan (1 January 2026), Tuvalu (21 January 2026), Uganda (21 January 2026), Vanuatu (21 January 2026), Venezuela (21 January 2026), Zambia (20 August 2025), and Zimbabwe (21 January 2026).
The notice added that Visa holders who post bonds must enter the United States through designated airports, including Boston Logan International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
Bonds will only be refunded when the Department of Homeland Security records the visa holder’s departure from the United States on or before the expiration of their authorised stay, when the applicant does not travel before the visa expires, or when a traveller applies for and is denied admission at a US port of entry.
