The waiver applies to qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets and opted into the FIFA Pass system as of April 15, according to Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar. World Cup team players, coaches, and some staff were already exempt from the bond requirement, but ordinary fans with confirmed tickets were not exempt until Wednesday. The bond requirement was imposed last year for countries with high rates of visa overstays and other security issues, the State Department said.
Travelers from 50 countries are required to pay the new bond, according to the State Department. The expanded visa bond program adds 12 countries to the list, effective April 2, a State Department official said. The 12 new countries are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia.
The bond amounts generally run between $5,000 and $15,000. The visa bond program started as a pilot in late 2025. S.
under the terms of their visa, according to multiple reports. Five of the 50 countries have qualified for the World Cup: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Tunisia, according to multiple reports. The average annual income in the five affected African countries is about $5,000 or less, according to multiple reports.
S. prohibitive for most fans from the affected countries, according to multiple reports. ; Algeria and Cape Verde will play all three group-stage games in Mexico.
The administration has barred travelers from Iran and Haiti, though World Cup players, coaches, and support personnel are exempt. Travelers from Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal face partial restrictions under an expanded travel ban. Foreign travelers face new requirements to submit their social media histories.
S. S. The American Hotel & Lodging Association said visa barriers and other geopolitical issues are 'significantly suppressing international demand' for hotel bookings for the World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11 and the final is on July 19, according to multiple reports. A State Department official said the visa bond program has reduced the number of people who overstay their visas.