Head of US travel association sounds alarm on potential expansion of visa bond program
NEW YORK: The US Travel Association said it is concerned the Trump administration’s visa bond program could be broadened beyond the dozens of countries currently covered, a move it says would have a detrimental impact on the travel industry and economy.
The US Department of State this month made permanent a visa bond program first launched as a pilot in August 2025, allowing consular officers to require certain tourist and business visa applicants from 50 countries to post refundable bonds of up to $20,000.
“There are already rumblings of expanding this program to additional countries where visas are required, perhaps all countries where visas are required,” US Travel Association President Geoff Freeman told Reuters. “That would have an extraordinarily detrimental effect on the US economy, on the travel industry.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
