United States | Visa bond requirement waived for certain World Cup travelers

On May 13, 2026, the State Department published a visa bond program update stating that “the Administration will waive the visa bond requirement for certain individuals traveling to the United States for the FIFA World Cup 2026.”

Key takeaways:

Requirement waived for competing athletes and team members. Athletes and team members who are nationals of countries competing in the World Cup and meet all visa requirements will not be subject to the visa bond requirement.

Waiver also applies to certain foreign nationals traveling to World Cup. The update states that “the visa bond will also be waived for nationals of competing countries who by April 15 purchased FIFA World Cup tickets and opted in to the FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (PASS) through the FIFA website and demonstrate that they are otherwise fully eligible for a U.S. visitor visa.”

Consular screening and vetting mandatory. All visa applicants are still subject to consular screening and vetting to determine visa issuance.

Additional information: In March, the State Department expanded its list of countries subject to the visa bond program and extended its list of designated ports of entry to include all commercial airports. The launch of the visa bond pilot program was first announced in August 2025. The pilot is currently scheduled to run from Aug. 20, 2025, until Aug. 5, 2026.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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