U.S. adds Venezuela and Cuba to visa bond program

Washington.- The United States has added Venezuela and Cuba to a visa bond program that requires citizens of certain countries to post financial guarantees of up to $15,000 in order to apply for B1 (business) and B2 (tourism) visas, according to the U.S. State Department.

The measure will take effect on January 21 and expands the list of affected nations to 38 countries, most of them in Africa, along with several in Latin America and Asia. Newly added countries include Algeria, Angola, Gabon, Nepal, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Venezuela, and Cuba, among others.

Under the new rules, applicants who qualify to request a B1 or B2 visa must deposit a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, an amount determined during the consular interview. The State Department clarified that paying the bond does not guarantee visa approval, and warned that payments made without proper consular authorization will not be refunded.

As part of the program’s conditions, travelers who post a bond must enter and exit the United States through designated airports, including Washington Dulles International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, or Boston Logan International Airport. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in denial of entry or problems recording the traveler’s departure.

U.S. authorities have not provided an official explanation for the inclusion of Venezuela and Cuba, nor clarified whether the decision is linked to recent political developments, including the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who was detained in Caracas on January 3 and later transferred to New York, where he faces charges including narcoterrorism and drug trafficking conspiracy.

Following Maduro’s capture, President Donald Trump stated that Cuba had long depended on Venezuela for survival and suggested the island could now face severe economic consequences. However, the U.S. government has emphasized that the expanded visa bond requirement is part of broader immigration enforcement efforts and has not justified the inclusion of any specific country.