Mali | Mali imposes “reciprocal” business and tourist visa bond fee for US nationals

On Oct. 11, 2025, Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation released a statement announcing, “In accordance with the principle of reciprocity, Mali has decided to introduce an identical visa program, imposing the same conditions and requirements on U.S. nationals as those applied to Malian citizens.”

Mali’s pilot visa program, effective Oct. 12, 2025, requires payment of a visa bond between US$5,000 and US$10,000 for business and tourist visas (B-1 and B-2 visas, respectively) by U.S. nationals planning to visit and/or work in Mali.

As referenced in the statement, Mali’s visa bond program was enacted in response to the U.S. State Department’s visa bond requirements as part of its visa bond pilot program running from Aug. 20, 2025, until Aug. 5, 2026. On Oct. 8, the State Department added Mali to the list of countries subject to the visa bond fee. Malian nationals who are visa applicants found eligible for a B-1/B-2 visa and subject to the pilot program will be required to pay a bond in the amount of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 starting Oct. 23, 2025.

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

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