"The United States has announced exemptions from visa bond payment requirements for FIFA World Cup ticket holders whose teams have qualified for the soccer tournament. In 2025, the Trump administration began requiring visitors to the US from certain countries to pay bonds of between $5,000 (4,300) and $15,000 to obtain a tourist visa. The bond requirement scheme was expanded in 2026 to include 50 countries. Five of the 50 countries subject to visa bonds qualified for the World Cup: Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia."
"The State Department announced on Wednesday that the US would waive the bond requirement for fans from qualifying countries. They must hold valid tickets and have already registered through a special system, known as FIFA PASS, to expedite their visa processing. The administration is "waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets and opted in to FIFA PASS as of April 15, 2026," US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said in a statement."
"The waiver doesn't change much for fans from Senegal and Ivory Coast, which have been on a list of countries with partial restrictions on entry to the US since December 2025. This partial ban means that fans who didn't have a visa before December won't be granted a visitor visa to travel to the US to watch their teams play. Fans from World Cup qualifying teams Haiti and Iran are still banned from entering the US under a full suspension of visas from these two countries."
"The travel bans and visa bond requirements don't apply to World Cup players, coaches and some staff. Fears of US immigration crackdowns during World Cup The bond waiver is a rare temporary loosening of immigration requirements under the administration of US President Donald Trump. It will partially ease travel burdens for some visitors to the US for the World Cup, which kicks off on June 11."
The United States announced exemptions from visa bond payment requirements for FIFA World Cup ticket holders whose teams qualified for the tournament. In 2025, a bond requirement for tourist visas began for visitors from certain countries, with bond amounts ranging from $5,000 to $15,000. In 2026, the scheme expanded to include 50 countries, including Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Tunisia. The State Department said the bond requirement would be waived for fans from qualifying countries who hold valid tickets and registered through FIFA PASS to speed visa processing. Some fans from Senegal and Ivory Coast still face partial entry restrictions, while Haiti and Iran remain under full visa suspensions. The travel bans and bond requirements do not apply to players, coaches, and some staff.
Read at www.dw.com
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