Status as of September 17, 2026. The State Department published Delegation of Authority No. DA630 on September 16, 2026 (91 FR 58739). It gives the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services the authority under 22 CFR 41.11(c)(3) to waive the visa bond requirement for an individual, a country, or a category of applicants. The underlying Visa Bond Program became permanent by final rule on August 3, 2026, with bonds of $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 for B-1/B-2 applicants from 50 designated countries.
The visa bond requirement can be waived not only for an individual applicant but for an entire country or category of applicants. The State Department has now specified which senior officials may exercise that authority. The delegation published on September 16 does not change who may be required to post a bond or how much it is. It changes who inside the Bureau of Consular Affairs may decide that a waiver is not contrary to the national interest.
Contents
What the delegation says
Delegation of Authority No. DA630 was signed by Morvared Namdarkhan, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, filed on September 15 and published on September 16, 2026 at 91 FR 58739. It delegates to two officials, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, the authority under 22 CFR 41.11(c)(3) to waive the visa bond requirement for an alien, a country, or a category of aliens, by determining that such a waiver is not contrary to the national interest of the United States.
Two limits appear in the text itself. The authority must be exercised by an Officer of the United States, and the Assistant Secretary retains the ability to exercise any function delegated. The one-page notice carries no comment period and contains no separate effective-date clause; it states only that the delegation will be published in the Federal Register.
How the visa bond program works
The bond is a refundable deposit posted as a condition of visa issuance, authorised by INA section 221(g)(3), 8 U.S.C. 1201(g)(3). It began as a 12-month pilot on August 20, 2025 and was made permanent by the final rule «Visas: Visa Bond Program,» published August 3, 2026 and effective on publication, which amended 22 CFR part 41.
Element | Current rule |
|---|---|
Who is covered | Applicants for B-1 and B-2 visitor visas who are nationals of designated countries |
Amounts | $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, set by the consular officer |
How it is posted | Through the Treasury-operated payment platform; funds are held at a U.S. financial institution acting as the government’s financial agent |
Visa validity | Three-month single entry, three-month multiple entry, or multiple entry for up to 12 months, depending on reciprocity |
Return of the money | Conditional on complying with the bond’s terms; a breach means forfeiture |
Waiver | Discretionary, on a national interest determination; no application process |
Designation follows nationality, not country of residence or the post where the application is filed. The program does not reach student, exchange, employment or immigrant visa categories.
Which countries are designated
The Department selects countries using a combination of factors: high visa overstay rates, deficient information sharing, weak identity verification and criminal records infrastructure, and shortcomings in screening, vetting and travel document security. The list has been revised repeatedly since the program started with two countries in August 2025.
The State Department’s country page lists fifty countries. Twelve of them were added with effect from April 2, 2026: Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles and Tunisia. Among post-Soviet states, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan appear on the list. Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova do not.
One caution about that page. As of September 17, 2026 it still describes the programme by reference to the temporary final rule that created the pilot, and still displays the former bond amounts of $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000. The controlling instruments are the final rule of August 3, 2026 and the current text of 22 CFR 41.11, which set the amounts at $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000. A reader following the official link will see the older figures.
The list is revised on a rolling basis. Two things are worth checking together: whether a country appears on the current list, and the implementation date shown next to it. A newly added country must be listed on travel.state.gov at least 15 days before the requirement begins to apply to its nationals, so appearing on the page does not by itself mean the bond applies that day.
How a waiver actually happens
There is no waiver application. The Department explained in the rulemaking that every applicant is presumed to want a waiver, and that the only facts relevant to the decision, purpose of travel and in some cases employment, are already collected from all applicants. Nothing an applicant files can trigger the process, and there is no fee, form or request to submit.
Two routes exist instead. A consular officer may recommend a waiver in limited circumstances, such as travel by U.S. government employees or urgent humanitarian need, where the officer has reason to believe a waiver would advance a national or humanitarian interest. Separately, the officials now holding the delegated authority may waive the requirement for a whole country or category of applicants. This second route is what makes the delegation worth noting: it is the mechanism by which bonds stop applying to a nationality without the country being formally removed from the designation list.
Why the delegation matters
On its face the notice is administrative housekeeping. Its practical significance is about speed and level. Before the delegation, the regulation pointed to the Assistant Secretary or a designate; the designation is now published, named and standing, so a country-wide or category-wide waiver can be signed at deputy level without a fresh delegation each time.
For travellers, nothing changes today. No bond amount, designation or refund condition was altered. What changed is the administrative distance between a policy decision to exempt a group and the signature that implements it, which is a reasonable thing to watch if your nationality is on the list.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for a visa bond waiver?
No. The Department stated in the rulemaking that there is no bond waiver application process. Waivers are granted at the Department’s discretion or on a consular officer’s recommendation.
Does the delegation remove any country from the bond list?
No. It identifies who may sign a waiver. It does not itself waive anything for anyone.
How much is the bond now?
Under the permanent rule, $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000, chosen by the consular officer. The $5,000 tier that existed during the pilot is gone.
Which visas does the program cover?
B-1 and B-2 visitor visas only, including the combined B-1/B-2. Student, exchange, work and immigrant visa applicants are not covered.
Is the bond refundable?
It is refundable if the terms and conditions of the bond are met. A breach, including overstaying, results in forfeiture.
Where is the current country list published?
On travel.state.gov. It is revised on a rolling basis, so it should be checked before applying rather than relied on from memory.
Official sources
Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
Full text of the September 16 delegation | |
Permanent program, amounts, designation criteria, waiver discussion | |
Codified bond parameters and waiver authority | |
Current list of designated countries and consular guidance |
This material is informational and current as of September 17, 2026. It is not legal advice. Bond amounts, designated countries and waiver practice change without long notice; verify against the official sources above before applying for a visa.