Nigeria will remain among the countries covered by the United States’ permanent Visa Bond Program, under which eligible travellers may be required to pay visa bonds of up to $20,000 before being issued visitor visas from Monday, August 3.

The U.S. Department of State announced the measure in a final rule published as Public Notice 13089, making the Visa Bond Program permanent after operating it as a one-year pilot scheme.

Under the policy, consular officers may require eligible applicants for B-1/B-2 business and tourist visas from designated countries to post a bond of $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 before their visas are issued, based on an individual risk assessment.

Nigeria, which joined the Visa Bond Pilot Program on January 21, 2026, will remain subject to the programme when the permanent rule takes effect on Monday, August 3, 2026, the same day it is due to be published in the Federal Register.

According to the U.S. Department of State, the permanent programme is intended to encourage compliance with visa conditions by ensuring that certain temporary visitors leave the United States before their authorised period of stay expires.

The Department said the rule formally adopts the pilot programme first introduced in August 2025.

“This rule finalizes the temporary final rule that went into effect on August 20, 2025, which launched a 12-month long Visa Bond Pilot Program (Pilot Program), and establishes a permanent visa bond program. An alien applying for a visa as a temporary visitor for business or pleasure (B-1/B-2) may be required to submit a bond (‘visa bond’).”
“To ensure that the alien maintains his or her nonimmigrant status and departs as required. Consular officers may require covered nonimmigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of visa issuance, as determined by the consular officers,” the notice stated.

According to the Department, the bond requirement applies to nationals of countries identified on the basis of factors such as high visa overstay rates, inadequate information sharing, weak identity verification and criminal records systems, as well as shortcomings in screening, vetting, and the security of travel documents.