US adds more countries requiring citizens to pay bonds of up to $15,000 for visa applications.

The Trump administration has included seven additional countries, five of which are in Africa, to the roster of nations whose passport holders must post bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to apply for entry into the United States.

Currently, thirteen countries—primarily in Africa—are on this list, making the visa application process prohibitively expensive for many.

Recently, the State Department added Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan to the list. These changes took effect on January 1, as noted in a notice on travel.state.gov.
This marks the latest move by the Trump administration to tighten entry requirements for the US, which also includes mandating in-person interviews for visa applicants from all countries that require visas and necessitating detailed disclosures of social media histories alongside past travel and living arrangements for both applicants and their families.

US officials have justified the bond requirements, claiming they are a means to ensure citizens from designated countries do not overstaying their visas.

While paying the bond does not guarantee the issuance of a visa, the amount will be refunded if the visa is denied or once a visa holder shows compliance with their visa terms.

The newly added countries join Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Gambia, Malawi, and Zambia, which were placed on the list in August and October of the previous year.