Visa deposit questions, answered

A U.S. visa bond is, in plain terms, a refundable visa deposit of $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 that certain B1/B2 visitor visa applicants must place before their visa can be issued. It is required under the U.S. Visa Bond Program and is released once you comply with the terms of your visa — most importantly, leaving the United States on time.

The deposit gives the U.S. government a financial guarantee that visitors will depart on time. The program operates under Section 221(g)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It began as a 12-month pilot in August 2025 and was made permanent by a final rule effective August 3, 2026 (91 FR 48757). It applies to countries with elevated visa overstay rates.

Travelers applying for a B1/B2 visa on a passport from one of the 50 countries currently in the program, when the consular officer finds them otherwise eligible for the visa. The officer tells you at your interview whether a deposit is required and sets the amount. The requirement applies regardless of where in the world you apply.

The deposit is $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000, set by the consular officer at your interview based on your circumstances. The maximum amount adjusts for inflation every seven years starting October 1, 2027.

Per person. Each traveler who is required to place a deposit needs their own separate deposit — including every family member, even when applying and traveling together. A family of four set at $10,000 each, for example, would need $40,000 deposited in total. VisaDeposits places a separate deposit for each traveler.

Only B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourism) visitor visas are covered by the Visa Bond Program. Other visa categories are not part of the bond program.

As of April 2026, 50 countries are in the program, including Nigeria, Bangladesh, Venezuela, Mongolia, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Algeria. See the full searchable list with the date each country was added. Note that nationals of some listed countries are also subject to a separate U.S. entry ban and generally cannot receive a B1/B2 visa even with a deposit.

Form I-352 is the immigration bond contract between the obligor (the party posting the bond) and the U.S. government. It sets out the bond amount, the conditions the traveler must meet, and what happens if those conditions are breached.

Visa deposits are paid through the Treasury's official payment platform under the terms of Form I-352. After your interview you receive a link to place your deposit. Depending on your country, the platform may accept domestic ACH or wire, international wire, digital wallets, or credit/debit cards (card processing fees fall on whoever posts the bond).

Your visa is refused under INA 221(g) at the interview and stays on hold until the deposit is placed — so the sooner it's placed, the sooner your visa can be issued. If the notice you receive states a deadline, follow it.

No. The deposit can be placed by an obligor — a party who funds it on your behalf via Form I-352. That is exactly what VisaDeposits does: we act as the obligor so you never have to lock up your own $10,000–$20,000.

VisaDeposits posts your required visa deposit for you. Instead of depositing $10,000–$20,000 of your own money with the U.S. government, you pay us a one-time service fee and we fund the deposit through Pay.gov and Form I-352.

The service fee starts at $1,499, depending on your deposit amount and case. It is a one-time, non-refundable fee — not a deposit — and it is a fraction of the deposit amount you would otherwise have to lock up. See pricing.

Typically within two business days of accepting your application and receiving your details. Your visa remains on hold under INA 221(g) until the deposit is placed, so applying early gets your visa issued sooner.

Three things: confirmation that you passed your B1/B2 interview and were required to pay a deposit, your contact details (name as on your passport, email, phone), and — if you have it — the Pay.gov link or reference you were given. The application takes about two minutes.

No. VisaDeposits (visadeposits.com) is a private service operated by Elephant Enterprises LLC. We are not the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Treasury, or any government agency, and we are not affiliated with or endorsed by them. We file through the government's official channels — Pay.gov and Form I-352 — on your behalf.

No. We assist only after the consular officer has required a visa deposit at your interview. We do not issue visas, influence visa decisions, or provide legal or immigration advice.

We collect only what is needed to arrange your deposit — your name, contact details, and deposit reference — and share it only with the government channels required to post it. We do not sell personal information. See our Privacy Policy.

The core conditions: enter and exit the United States through commercial airports only, comply with the terms of your B1/B2 visa, and depart by your authorized date. Meet them and the bond is cancelled automatically.

Commercial air ports of entry reliably record your arrival and departure, which is how the government verifies you left on time and releases the deposit. Deposit holders may not enter or exit by land, sea, charter, or general aviation.

The deposit is automatically released — nothing further is owed by you, and there is no paperwork for you to file. Departing on time through a commercial airport is all it takes.

The deposit is released. If you do not travel to the United States before your visa expires, the deposit's conditions are satisfied and it is released.

The deposit is released. Being denied admission by U.S. Customs and Border Protection is not a breach of its terms — the deposit only guarantees that if you are admitted, you leave on time.

With VisaDeposits, you never paid the $10,000–$20,000 yourself, so there is nothing of yours held by the government to refund. You paid our one-time service fee, and the deposit is released once you comply with its terms. The service fee is non-refundable.

No. Placing the deposit satisfies the requirement set at your interview so your visa can be issued, but admission is always decided by a Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry.

The deposit is tied to departing by your authorized date, so any change of plans needs care. If your circumstances change, contact USCIS about your immigration status and contact us about the deposit before your authorized stay ends. Remaining beyond your authorized stay without authorization is a breach of its terms.

If you overstay or otherwise breach the terms of your visa, the deposit is forfeited to the U.S. government. In that case you (and any obligor who funded the deposit) are liable to repay the full deposit amount — $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 — to VisaDeposits, plus collection costs. Our service fee covers placing the deposit; it does not cover a forfeiture. Overstaying can also carry serious immigration consequences beyond the loss of deposit.

Yes. On August 3, 2026 the State Department finalized the program (91 FR 48757), making it permanent after the 12-month pilot. Deposit amounts are now $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000, and the maximum adjusts for inflation every seven years starting October 1, 2027.

A B1/B2 visa valid for three months (single or multiple entry) or up to 12 months multiple entry, depending on visa reciprocity, annotated to show a deposit was posted. Travelers must enter and depart through commercial airports (including preclearance locations) — land border crossings are not permitted.

The rule gives the Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs authority to waive the requirement for a person, a country, or a category of applicants where a waiver is not contrary to the national interest. Waivers are discretionary — plan on posting the bond.

Overstaying your authorized period, not departing within 10 days after a denial of a timely extension or change-of-status request, filing untimely extension requests, or filing for asylum (Form I-589) while in the United States. Any breach forfeits the deposit.

The authoritative sources are the U.S. Department of State's visa bond page, the USCIS Form I-352 page, and Pay.gov.