US Department of State identifies multiple countries as needing visa bonds

US Department of State identified (06-Jan-2026) nationals from the following countries as needing visa bonds:

• Effective in 2025: Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Zambia;
• Effective in Jan-2026: Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.

Any eligible citizen or national travelling on a passport issued by one of these countries must post a visa bond for USD5000, USD10,000, or USD15,000, as determined at the time of the visa interview. All visa holders who have posted a visa bond must enter and exit the US through Boston Logan International Airport, New York John F Kennedy International Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport. [more - original PR]