The United States administration under President Donald Trump has added the number of countries whose nationals are required to place a visa bond when applying for the B1/B2 visa.
Under the visa bond policy, applicants from the flagged countries are required to pay $15,000 (Sh1.935 million) in order to enter the United States.
On Tuesday January 7, 2025, the administration announced that it was adding 25 more countries to the list. This came barely a week after it added seven countries to the list that contained six countries. In total, the list now includes 38 countries.
More than 60 percent of the countries in the list are from Africa, with the rest coming from Latin America and Asia.
In the new US visa bond list, the United States has added Uganda among these countries. This means that out of the three main East Africa countries of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, only Kenya has been spared from the list. Tanzania was added onto this list in October 2025.
According to the Department of States, nationals who are subject to the visa bond policy are required to enter the United States through three designated airports. These airports are the John F. Kennedy International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport.
According to the Department of States, all the countries whose nationals will need to visa bonds are:
Algeria (January 21, 2026)
Angola (January 21, 2026)
Antigua and Barbuda (January 21, 2026)
Bangladesh (January 21, 2026)
Benin (January 21, 2026)
Bhutan (January 1, 2026)
Botswana (January 1, 2026)
Burundi (January 21, 2026)
Cabo Verde (January 21, 2026)
Central African Republic (January 1, 2026)
Cote D’Ivorie (January 21, 2026)
Cuba (January 21, 2026)
Djibouti (January 21, 2026)
Dominica (January 21, 2026)
Fiji (January 21, 2026)
Gabon (January 21, 2026)
The Gambia (October 11, 2025)
Guinea (January 1, 2026)
Guinea Bissau (January 1, 2026)
Kyrgyzstan (January 21, 2026)
Malawi (August 20, 2025)
Mauritania (October 23, 2025)
Namibia (January 1, 2026)
Nepal (January 21, 2026)
Nigeria (January 21, 2026)
Sao Tome and Principe (October 23, 2025)
Senegal (January 21, 2026)
Tajikistan (January 21, 2026)
Tanzania (October 23, 2025)
Togo (January 21, 2026)
Tonga (January 21, 2026)
Turkmenistan (January 1, 2026)
Tuvalu (January 21, 2026)
Uganda (January 21, 2026)
Vanuatu (January 21, 2026)
Venezuela (January 21, 2026)
Zambia (August 20, 2025)
Zimbabwe (January 21, 2026)
SEE MORE: Trump adds Tanzania, Nigeria to list of countries with US visa restrictions
“Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000,” the U.S State Department says.
The specific amount that is to be paid is determined at the time of the visa interview. “The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352. Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov. This requirement applies regardless of place of application.”
The department cautions that visa applicants should only submit Form I-352 to post a bond only after a consular officer directs them to do so.
“A bond does not guarantee visa issuance. If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, the fees will not be returned.”
