Citizen NewsNG 
The United States government has introduced new travel restrictions that could require Nigerians applying for B1/B2 business and tourist visas to post bonds of up to $15,000 (around N22,000,000).
According to information published on the US Department of State’s website, Travel.State.Gov, payment of the bond does not guarantee visa issuance, while fees paid without the direction of a consular officer will not be refunded.
Of the 38 countries listed in the updated directive released by the US State Department on Tuesday, African nations accounted for 24, including Nigeria.
Visa bonds are financial guarantees imposed by the US government on nationals of countries classified as high-risk who are otherwise found eligible for B1/B2 visas.
The implementation date for Nigeria is January 21, 2026.
“The Department of State has identified certain countries whose nationals applying for B-1/B-2 visas are required to post visa bonds, with implementation dates shown in parentheses,” the directive stated.
Countries affected include Algeria (21 January 2026), Angola (21 January 2026), Antigua and Barbuda (21 January 2026), Bangladesh (21 January 2026), Benin (21 January 2026), Bhutan (1 January 2026), Botswana (1 January 2026), Burundi (21 January 2026), Cabo Verde (21 January 2026), Central African Republic (1 January 2026), Côte d’Ivoire (21 January 2026), Cuba (21 January 2026), Djibouti (21 January 2026), and Dominica (21 January 2026).
Others are Fiji (21 January 2026), Gabon (21 January 2026), The Gambia (11 October 2025), Guinea (1 January 2026), Guinea-Bissau (1 January 2026), Kyrgyzstan (21 January 2026), Malawi (20 August 2025), Mauritania (23 October 2025), Namibia (1 January 2026), and Nepal (21 January 2026).
The rest include Nigeria (21 January 2026), São Tomé and Príncipe (23 October 2025), Senegal (21 January 2026), Tajikistan (21 January 2026), Tanzania (23 October 2025), Togo (21 January 2026), Tonga (21 January 2026), Turkmenistan (1 January 2026), Tuvalu (21 January 2026), Uganda (21 January 2026), Vanuatu (21 January 2026), Venezuela (21 January 2026), Zambia (20 August 2025), and Zimbabwe (21 January 2026).
The directive added that, “Any citizen or national travelling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is otherwise found eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. The amount is determined during the visa interview.”
It further stated that applicants must submit the Department of Homeland Security’s Form I-352 and agree to the bond terms through the US Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform, Pay.gov, noting that the requirement applies “regardless of the place of application.”
Visa holders who post bonds are also required to enter the United States through designated airports, including Boston Logan International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
According to the directive, bonds will only be refunded when the Department of Homeland Security records the visa holder’s departure from the United States on or before the expiration of their authorised stay, when the applicant does not travel before the visa expires, or when a traveller applies for and is denied admission at a US port of entry.
The development comes barely a week after the US government imposed partial travel restrictions on Nigeria.
On December 16, Nigeria was listed among 15 mostly African countries placed under partial travel suspensions.
In Nigeria’s case, the US cited the presence and operations of radical Islamic terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State, in parts of the country, resulting in what it described as “substantial screening and vetting difficulties.”
The US also cited Nigeria’s visa overstay rates — 5.56 per cent for B1/B2 visas and 11.90 per cent for F, M, and J visas — as justification for the restrictions.
As a result, the suspension covered immigrant visas as well as non-immigrant categories, including B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas.
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