The United States has introduced new travel restrictions that will require Nigerians applying for B1/B2 (business and tourism) visas to post a visa bond of $15,000, further tightening entry conditions for Nigerian travellers.
This is according to information published on the US Department of State’s website, Travel.State.Gov, which notes that payment of a bond does not guarantee visa issuance and that any fee paid without the express direction of a consular officer will not be refunded.
The policy forms part of a broader visa risk-management framework targeting countries assessed as high-risk.
The new requirement is scheduled to take effect for Nigeria on January 21, 2026, coming barely weeks after the US imposed partial travel restrictions on Nigerian visa applicants.
Under the directive, Nigeria is among 38 countries whose nationals will be required to post visa bonds when applying for B1/B2 visas, with African countries accounting for 24 of those listed.
The US Department of State explained that nationals from the affected countries who are otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa will be required to post a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, with the exact amount determined during the visa interview.
According to the directive:
“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 bond will only be refunded if one of the following conditions is met:
Failure to meet these conditions could result in forfeiture of the bond.
Nigeria joins several other African and non-African countries on the list, including Algeria, Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Nepal, Venezuela, and others, with implementation dates varying between August 2025 and January 2026.
The introduction of the visa bond requirement follows the partial US travel restrictions imposed on Nigeria on December 16, when the country was listed among 15 mostly African nations facing tighter visa controls.