NEW YORK, 12 AUG (DNA) — The US Travel Association said it is concerned the Trump administration’s visa bond program could be broadened beyond the dozens of countries currently covered, a move it says would have a detrimental impact on the travel industry and economy.
The US Department of State this month made permanent a visa bond program first launched as a pilot in August 2025, allowing consular officers to require certain tourist and business visa applicants from 50 countries to post refundable bonds of up to $20,000.
“There are already rumblings of expanding this program to additional countries where visas are required, perhaps all countries where visas are required,” US Travel Association President Geoff Freeman told Reuters. “That would have an extraordinarily detrimental effect on the US economy, on the travel industry.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The administration said visa issuances in the pilot countries fell 83 percent during the program’s first 10 months, while overstays from those countries dropped from 45,488 in fiscal 2024 to fewer than 50 during the pilot period.
The 50 countries covered by the program are predominantly in Africa, with a smaller number in Asia, the Caribbean, Central Asia and Latin America. The administration said the program is aimed at reducing visa overstays from nationals of countries with high overstay rates or deficiencies in information-sharing, vetting and document security. New countries can be added to the list with 15 days’ notice, the State Department said. — DNA
