US nearly triples list of countries whose citizens must post bonds up to $15,000 to apply for visas

Source: Associated Press

US nearly triples list of countries whose citizens must post bonds up to $15,000 to apply for visas

MATTHEW LEE
Tue, January 6, 2026 at 3:54 PM EST
2 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is nearly tripling the number of countries whose passport holders will be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the United States.

Less than a week after adding seven countries to the list of nations subject to visa bonds, bringing the total to 13, the State Department on Tuesday added 25 more. The bond requirement for the latest additions will take effect Jan. 21, according to a notice posted on the travel.state.gov website.

The move means that 38 countries, most of them in Africa but some in Latin America and Asia, are now on the list, which makes the process of obtaining a U.S. visa unaffordable for many.

It’s the latest effort by the Trump administration to tighten requirements for entry to the U.S., including requiring citizens from all countries that require visas to sit for in-person interviews and disclose years of social media histories as well as detailed accounts of their and their families’ previous travel and living arrangements.

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Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/us-nearly-triples-list-countries-205405961.html

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As of January 21, 2026, the affected countries are:

Algeria,
Angola,
Antigua and Barbuda
Bangladesh
Benin
Bhutan
Botswana
Burundi
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Cuba
Djibouti
Dominica
Fiji
Gabon
Gambia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Ivory Coast
Kyrgyzstan
Malawi
Mauritania
Namibia
Nepal
Nigeria
Senegal
Sao Tome and Principe
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Togo
Turkmenistan
Tonga
Tuvalu
Uganda
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Zambia
Zimbabwe