Ethiopians and other five African countries’ nationals travelling to the United States for business or tourism next week (as of April 2, 2026), are required to deposit the recently introduced pilot visa bond of $5,000 to $15,000, according to the information from the US Embassy in Addis Ababa.
“Effective April 2, 2026, Ethiopia will be part of the visa bond pilot program. Visa applicants who are otherwise found eligible for a business/tourist (B1/B2) visa for travel to the United States will be required to post a bond of up to $15,000 before the visa can be issued. The bond will be returned to the traveler if he or she complies with all conditions of the visa and departs the United States before the period of admission expires,” the Embassy posted on its social media page.
In addition to Ethiopia, the list of countries the US implements its new visa bond on Aril 2, 2026 also includes five more Africa countries namely – Lesotho, Mozambique, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Tunisia, as well as Nicaragua, Mongolia, Cambodia, Georgia, Grenada and Papua New Guinea.
It is recalled that a few months ago the US ha listed many of Sub- Saharan African countries and other developing nations and small islands requiring their citizens to deposit visa bond ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of the countries in the list, “who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview.”
This requirement does not apply to people holding a valid B1/B2 visa issued before April 2. Do NOT pay your bond in advance. Paying early does not guarantee you a visa, and third-party sites can be scams. Any payment made before your interview is NOT refundable.
The embassy also stated that students traveling to the United States on F or M visas are exempted from the visa bond requirement. Bond payments are only required for qualified business/tourist (B1/B2) visa applicants.
