US Lists 50 New Countries Whose Citizens Are on the Fresh 2026 Visa Bond List

• The US Department of State updated its visa bond list on October 2, 2026, naming 50 countries whose nationals face mandatory financial bonds
• Nigeria is among 30 African nations on the list, with bond requirements reaching as high as $20,000 per applicant
• Implementation dates across the list vary, with some countries subject to the requirement as far back as August 2025

The United States Department of State has updated its visa bond list to include 50 countries, with nationals of those nations required to pay a financial bond of up to $20,000 before travelling to the US. The list was last revised on 2 October 2026.

The bond requirement is not new for all countries on the list. Malawi and Zambia were among the first affected, with their requirements taking effect as early as 20 August 2025.

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The Gambia followed on 11 October 2025, while Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tanzania were added on 23 October 2025.

African countries on the US visa bond list

Thirty African nations appear on the updated list, making the continent the most heavily represented region. Nigeria's bond requirement came into force on 21 January 2026, alongside Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cote D'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, Senegal, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, among others.

A further wave of African countries, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Tunisia, were added later, with their requirements effective from 2 April 2026.

Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Namibia saw their requirements take effect from 1 January 2026.

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Global reach of the bond requirement

The list extends well beyond Africa. In Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan are all subject to the requirement.

Caribbean and Pacific nations affected include Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Venezuela is also included.

Several of the non-African nations, among them Cambodia, Georgia, Grenada, Mongolia, Nicaragua, and Papua New Guinea, were added in the April 2026 round of updates, indicating a continued expansion of the policy.

The staggered implementation dates suggest the Department of State has rolled out the measure in phases rather than as a single blanket policy, with the October 2026 update representing the most comprehensive revision to date.

US names 7 groups eligible for visa fee waiver

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Earlier YEN.com.gh reported that the US has listed seven distinct categories of nonimmigrant visa applicants who are not required to pay the standard visa application processing fee.

The Department of State said the exemptions apply to a defined set of applicants and do not extend automatically across all visa types.

Source: YEN.com.gh