WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. State Department added Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia to the list of countries whose citizens must post bonds to apply for U.S. business or tourist visas. Starting April 2, passport holders from these 12 countries must pay a bond of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 when applying for B1 or B2 visas.

With these additions, citizens from 50 countries will be subject to the visa bond requirement beginning April 2. The majority of countries subject to the bond requirement are in Africa.

The bond requirement program was first implemented by the Trump administration in 2025 as part of efforts to reduce visa overstays and illegal immigration. Bond amounts are determined at the discretion of a consular officer based on the applicant's circumstances.

Bonds are refunded if the visa application is denied or, if granted, the traveler complies with the terms of the visa. Nearly 97% of the roughly 1,000 individuals who posted bonds complied with visa terms and did not overstay their visas.

"The visa bond program has already proven effective at drastically reducing the number of visa recipients who overstay their visas and illegally remain in the United States," the State Department said.