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Mali has announced that U.S. citizens will now be required to post visa bonds of up to $10,000 for business and tourist travel, following Washington’s decision to include the West African nation in its visa bond programme.
The U.S. embassy in Mali said on Friday that under the pilot scheme, which takes effect on October 23, “bonds of up to $10,000 will be required for tourist and business visas.” The U.S. government stated that the funds would be refunded to travellers who “depart in accordance with the terms of their visas.”
In response, Mali’s foreign ministry said on Sunday that the government “deplores the unilateral decision by the U.S. government,” arguing that it violates a previous bilateral agreement on long-stay, multiple-entry visas.
“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,” the ministry added.
According to U.S. State Department data from 2015 to 2024, fewer than 3,000 non-immigrant visas are issued annually to Malian nationals. Figures for U.S. citizens receiving Malian visas were not immediately available.
President Donald Trump has made curbing illegal immigration a central goal of his administration, expanding border security efforts and intensifying enforcement against undocumented migrants.
In August, the U.S. State Department also announced that visa applicants from Zambia and Malawi would be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 — a move Zambia’s government criticised as creating an “unnecessary financial strain.”
