Dominican Citizens to Pay US Visa Bond of up to Forty-two Thousand Dollars

Beginning January 26, 2026, Dominican nationals applying for US visas will be made to pay a US $5 000, $10 000 or $15 000 visa bond to the United States government. 

This is equivalent to EC $13 400, $26 800 or $40 200.

Dominica joins thirty-seven other countries that is subject to the bond. All the countries are on the list whose nationals have either partial or complete travel bans into the United States.

According to the US State Department, “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 for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000.  The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview.  The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352.  Applicants must agree to the terms of the bond through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform Pay.gov.”

The State Department have also urged applicants submitting Form I-352 to post a bond to only take action after a consular officer directs them to do so.

As a condition of the bond, all visa holders who have posted a visa bond must enter and exit the United States through the three designated ports of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). “Not doing this might lead to a denied entry or a departure that is not properly recorded,” according to the US State Department.

According to the US State Department, the bond will be canceled and the money returned automatically in these situations: (i) the Department of Homeland Security records the visa holder’s departure from the United States on or before the date to which they are authorized to stay in the United States, or (ii) the visa holder does not travel to the United States before the expiration of the visa, or (iii) the visa holder applies for and is denied admission at the U.S. port of entry.

The State Department warns that anyone who breaches the visa bond such as by overstaying their visa will be reported to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

This is just the latest travel woes to Dominican nationals coming after the US government imposed a partial travel ban on holders of immigrant and non-immigrant visas beginning on January 1, 2026.