US requires Zambia, Malawi citizens to pay up to $15,000 bond for some visitor visas

FILE PHOTO: Travellers are seen at the Delta Airlines check-in area at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City, U.S., May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration will require visa applicants from Zambia and Malawi to pay bonds up to $15,000 for some tourist and business visas under a pilot program launching in two weeks, the State Department said on Tuesday.

"Starting August 20, 2025, any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa must post a bond in amounts of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, determined at time of visa interview," the State Department said in a notice on its website.