Zim GBC News | International Desk
HARARE – The United States has expanded its controversial visa bond programme to include citizens from Botswana and Namibia, who will from 1 January 2026 be required to post a refundable bond of up to US$15,000 to visit the country.
The move places the two Southern African nations on a growing list of countries targeted by a US State Department pilot programme aimed at curbing visa overstays. Malawi and Zambia have been subject to the same requirement since August this year.
According to the latest State Department update issued on 17 December 2025, the new year will see citizens from Bhutan, Botswana, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan added to the scheme. They join several other African countries already on the list, including The Gambia, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Tanzania.
A State Department spokesperson told Reuters the selection is based on “high overstay rates, screening and vetting deficiencies, concerns regarding acquisition of citizenship by investment without a residency requirement, and foreign policy considerations.”
The financial requirement is substantial.
“Any citizen or national travelling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000,” the official notice states.
“The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview.”
While the bond is refundable upon compliant departure from the US, the State Department cautions,
“A bond does not guarantee visa issuance. If someone pays fees without a consular officer’s direction, this person will not get that money back.”
Travellers face further restrictions, being forced to enter and depart the US exclusively through three designated airports: Boston Logan, New York’s JFK, or Washington Dulles.
“Not doing this might lead to a denied entry or a departure that is not properly recorded,” the department warned.
The policy has previously sparked diplomatic friction. Mali was briefly added to the list in October 2025 but was removed after its government imposed an identical reciprocal bond on US citizens. The reversal demonstrated the policy’s fluidity, with the State Department noting that “the list of countries may be updated from time to time.”
For now, citizens of Botswana and Namibia must prepare for a significantly more costly and logistically challenging process to secure a US visa in 2026.
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