U.S. Waives Up To $15,000 Visa Bonds For World Cup Ticket Holders
State Department waives visa bonds up to $15,000 for ticketed fans who opted into FIFA PASS as of April 15, 2026, easing travel ahead of the World Cup that begins June 11.
BBC NewsTrump administration drops $15,000 visa deposit for foreign fans with World Cup tickets
Al JazeeraUS waives visa bonds of up to $15,000 for FIFA World Cup ticket holders
NPRForeign ticket holders from World Cup teams' countries won't have to pay bonds to enter U.S.
CNNForeigners with World Cup tickets won’t have to pay bonds to enter US, Trump administration tells AP | CNN
Overview
Assistant Secretary Mora Namdar said the State Department is waiving visa bonds of up to $15,000 for qualified World Cup ticket holders who opted into FIFA PASS as of April 15, 2026.
The bond programme had required applicants from 50 countries to post $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 to curb visa overstays, and the waiver aims to ease travel burdens for the World Cup, which begins June 11.
FIFA thanked the administration for its collaboration, while Amnesty International, the ACLU and dozens of civil and human rights groups issued a World Cup travel advisory warning about U.S. immigration and enforcement practices.
Five affected countries have qualified for the tournament—Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia—and the State Department said it expects up to 10 million visitors to the United States for the event, with early April estimates of about 250 affected ticketed fans.
Travelers from Iran and Haiti remain barred and citizens of Ivory Coast and Senegal face partial restrictions, and visitors with tickets will still be subject to regular visa vetting, officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the waiver as a pragmatic exception amid a broader immigration crackdown, emphasizing contrast between facilitating the World Cup and restrictive policies. Editorial choices — loaded terms like "crackdown" and "dramatic steps," selective sourcing from Amnesty and hotel groups, and examples of travel bans — foreground tensions over policy coherence.