The United States is making its visa bond programme permanent from Monday, 3 August 2026, allowing consular officers to require some Nigerian business and tourist visa applicants to deposit up to $20,000 before a visa is issued. The money is intended to discourage visitors from overstaying, but applicants should not make any payment unless they are formally instructed to do so by a US consular officer.
The new rule applies to B-1 and B-2 visas, which cover temporary business trips and tourism. It replaces a pilot programme under which eligible applicants could be asked to provide bonds of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000.
Under the permanent arrangement, the $5,000 option will be removed. Consular officers will instead be able to set the bond at $10,000, $15,000 or a maximum of $20,000, depending on the applicant’s circumstances.
Nigeria is among 50 countries currently covered by the scheme, most of them in Africa. However, the rule does not mean every Nigerian applying for a US visitor visa must automatically pay $20,000. The amount will be decided individually during the visa interview.
How the $20,000 US visa bond will work
A visa bond is a refundable financial guarantee. It is designed to ensure that a visitor follows the conditions of a temporary visa and leaves the United States before the authorised period of stay ends.
Applicants must first complete the normal visa process and be found otherwise eligible for a B-1 or B-2 visa. A consular officer may then decide that a bond is required before the visa can be issued.
Factors considered may include the purpose of the journey, employment, income, previous travel history and the applicant’s social or economic ties to Nigeria.
The bond does not replace the standard application fee and does not guarantee that the applicant will receive a visa. Applicants must not transfer money through agents, private websites or other third parties unless the payment follows official instructions.
Under the existing system, applicants directed to post a bond must complete the Department of Homeland Security’s Form I-352 and make the payment through the US Treasury’s Pay.gov platform. The person making the payment becomes the bond’s official payer and would normally receive the refund.
The US government has warned that money paid without a consular officer’s instruction may not be refunded.
New Daily Prime previously reported on the earlier US visa bond requirement of up to $15,000 for Nigerians.
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When applicants will receive their money back
The bond will normally be returned without interest after US immigration records confirm that the traveller complied with all visa conditions.
A refund may be issued when:
- The visitor leaves the United States on or before the authorised departure date.
- The visa holder does not travel before the visa expires.
- The traveller arrives at a US port of entry but is refused admission.
The bond may be forfeited if the traveller remains in the country beyond the authorised period, fails to leave or breaches other conditions attached to the visa.
Applying for an extension, asylum or a different immigration status could also affect the bond, depending on the terms and the government’s assessment of whether a breach occurred.
Travellers should understand that a visa’s expiry date is not always the same as the deadline for leaving the country. A visa allows a person to request entry, while a US border officer decides how long the visitor may remain after arrival.
The authorised departure date is usually recorded electronically and must be checked carefully.
Washington says pilot reduced visa overstays
The US State Department said it decided to make the policy permanent after reviewing the results of the pilot scheme introduced in August 2025.
According to figures cited in the federal notice, almost 45,500 visitors from the affected countries overstayed their visas in 2024. The number reportedly fell to fewer than 50 among bonded travellers during the first 10 months of the pilot.
The programme also led to a large fall in applications. Visa issuance among the countries covered declined by about 83 per cent, while almost half of roughly 20,000 affected applicants reportedly decided not to pay the required bond.
US officials argue that the policy encourages visitors to comply with immigration rules and pressures foreign governments to improve identity checks, criminal-record sharing and the security of travel documents.
The State Department has linked the programme to countries with high overstay rates, limited information sharing or weaknesses in document verification.
Critics, however, argue that the bond could prevent legitimate travellers from visiting relatives, attending business meetings or taking holidays in the United States.
A maximum deposit of $20,000 would place travel beyond the reach of many Nigerian households, even though the payment is refundable when the conditions are met.
Nigeria among African countries affected
Other African countries covered by the programme include Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho and Malawi.
The list also includes Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Additional countries could be added later if the United States determines that their overstay levels or information-sharing systems create concerns.
Nigeria was already subject to the earlier pilot programme, with bond requirements taking effect for Nigerian nationals on 21 January 2026. The permanent rule therefore changes the possible amount and legal status of the programme rather than introducing the idea for the first time.
Separate US visa restrictions also apply to some Nigerian applicants under measures introduced on security and screening grounds. The bond programme should not be confused with a visa ban: applicants may still be considered, but approval remains subject to eligibility checks and any other restrictions that apply.
Nigerians planning to apply for business or tourist visas should attend their interviews with accurate documents and clear evidence of the purpose of their visit.
Applicants may be asked to show employment, income, family responsibilities, business commitments or other ties that support their intention to return home.
They should not post a bond before receiving a direct instruction and an official payment link from a consular officer.
Applicants should also avoid altered passport photographs. The US Mission has warned that visa photographs must be recent, recognisable and free from artificial intelligence editing or filters that substantially change a person’s appearance.
Anyone granted a visa after paying a bond should keep copies of the payment record, visa documents and evidence of departure from the United States.
The key point is that $20,000 is the maximum possible bond, not a universal charge imposed automatically on every Nigerian traveller. The individual amount will be determined during the application process, and paying it will not guarantee approval.
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