- The U.S. State Department permanently established the Visa Bond Program on August third, twenty twenty-six, for certain Pacific nations.
- Travelers from high-overstay countries face bonds of up to twenty thousand dollars to secure short-term visitor visas.
- The program has slashed B-visa issuance by eighty-three percent in subject countries since the pilot phase began.
The U.S. Department of State made its Visa Bond Program permanent on Aug. 3, putting Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Tuvalu under a bond system for some B-1 and B-2 applicants. The Final Rule appeared in the Federal Register as 91 FR 48757. It is now standing policy, not a trial.
The permanent rule replaces a pilot that began Aug. 20, 2025. It keeps the same target profile: countries with B-1/B-2 overstay rates above 10% and places with deficient screening and vetting information. The five Pacific nations sit inside a 50-country list worldwide. The net is wider than one region.
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The department said the pilot gave it enough data. It wrote:
"The 2025 visa bond pilot, which provided a framework for the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury to assess the feasibility of administering a visa bond program, has provided sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond program is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders."
State officials still collect the bond, but Homeland Security decides whether a traveler broke it. An overstay or an asylum application can trigger that finding. The departments split the work. That matters.
Refunds come only after three steps: leave before the authorized stay ends, exit through an authorized commercial airport and follow every visa condition. A land-border departure can void the refund, which makes the airport route part of the paperwork. Some itineraries now run through JFK, LAX and San Francisco. The route narrows.
The bond can bite hard in the Pacific. The cash hit can swallow years of income in Vanuatu or Tuvalu, and it lands before a trip even starts. Many bonded visas also cap stays at 30 days, below the standard 180-day admission for other visitors. Families face more than one hurdle. The cost is immediate.
The rule sets three bond tiers, and consular officers choose among them. The permanent version is not one flat charge. It is layered.
Three bond tiers replace the pilot minimum
| Phase | Dates | Bond terms |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Aug. 20, 2025 to Aug. 2, 2026 | $5,000 minimum |
| Permanent rule | Aug. 3, 2026 onward | $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 |
The shift from pilot to permanent status also keeps the bond from being one flat figure. Officers still choose among tiers case by case. That discretion stays with the consular post.
The pilot cut demand fast
The pilot's first 10 months produced steep numbers. B visas issued in the subject countries fell 83%. Nearly 50% of applicants who were asked to pay a bond chose not to proceed, leaving some applications unfinished at the start. Demand fell at the door.
Overstays from the 50 subject countries went from roughly 45,500 in 2024 to fewer than 50 during the first 10 months of the pilot. That collapse gave the department a record it now points to in the permanent rule. The agency expects the same pressure to keep pushing down B1/B2 demand from covered countries.
The department said in the rule that the trend should continue. It wrote:
"The department expects that this final rule will contribute to the continued reduction of demand for B1/B2 visa applications from nationals of countries subject to the program."
