It will be a bond of up to $ 15,000 per tourist

Traveling to the United States is about to become an adventure more unattainable that never for millions of tourists around the world. The US government is finalizing a procedure that will make Traveling to the US is a bit more complicated And, above all, much more expensive: they will demand a bond of up to $ 15,000 per traveler to prevent you from being in the country more than declared.

$ 15,000 in exchange for a visa. According to published Reutersthe United States Department of State has sent a circular to its consulates announcing that it will implement a 12-month pilot program for which it will require certain applicants for Visa B-1 (businesses) and B-2 (tourism) a deposit that could reach up to $ 15,000 as a requirement to get the tourist visa, and its return will depend on the person leave the country within the authorized period.

According The published By Politico, the State Department has confirmed this measure that is in its final drafting phase and could immediately enter into force as of August 20, 2025. According to a state department spokesman, this measure “reinforces the Trump administration’s commitment to the application of US immigration laws and the protection of national security.”

Affected countries. The measure automatically excludes citizens of nations from the Visa Exemption Program (among which is Spain), but will affect certain countries whose citizens have a high rate of permanence in the country after the expiration of their visas.

The statement sent to consulates does not offer information on which countries will affect the new measure. According to data From the US Department and border protection of the United States, more than 500,000 people remained in the country longer than allowed by their visas in 2023, Colombia registered the largest number of people who exceed the duration of their stay in 2023, with 40,884, followed by Haiti (27,269), Venezuela (21.513), Brazil (20.811) and the Dominican Republic (20.259).

It is very likely that these countries enter to be part of that list that has not yet been made public, but the US reserves the right to include or remove more countries from this list. “Countries will be identified according to the high permanence rates, the deficiencies in the selection and verification of the background, the concerns about the acquisition of citizenship due to investment without a residence requirement and foreign policy considerations,” government spokesman told politician.

Discretionary bail. In the statement sent to the consulates it is specified that the amount of the bond may vary in a discretionary way between the 5,000, 10,000 and up to $ 15,000, depending on the “risk” that the consulate receives depending on the nationality and the migratory background of the applicant. In addition, to set the bond, the applicant’s economic capacity will be taken into account so that it is not so high as to cause economic damage.

However, the statement establishes an average bond of $ 5,000 for children and $ 10,000 for adults in countries included in the list that want to visit the country as tourists.

Expected impact on tourism and perspectives. The arrival of Donald Trump and the resurgence of anti -immigration measures has generated great tension in the tourism sector that It already registers falls up to 20%.

The impact on international tourism can be considerable. According to Customs Department and border protection of the United States publishedby Newsweekonly Colombia, the country with one of the greatest permanence rates in the country, sent 945,000 visitors to the US in 2023. The implementation of this screening system will delve into a little more in The 12,500 million hole of dollars estimated in May.

It is not the first time Trump tries. The measure that is about to launch the Trump administration is not new. His cabinet has limited himself to getting out of the drawer and expanding a proposal that was already considered in 2020, in the last months of his previous term. On that occasion the pilot program was designed to last six months, but Biden’s victory at the polls canceled it.

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