US waives visa bond requirement for World Cup ticket holders

The waiver applies to fans from five affected countries who registered for the FIFA Pass system by April 15, 2026

The Trump administration is waiving a requirement that foreign visitors from certain countries pay bonds of up to $15,000 if they hold confirmed World Cup tickets and are registered for the FIFA Pass system.

According to AP News, the State Department confirmed the waiver on Wednesday. The bond requirement was imposed last year for travelers from 50 countries that the administration said had high rates of visa overstays and other security concerns. Five of those countries have qualified for the World Cup: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Tunisia.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said, "The United States is excited to organize the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history. We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets" and opted into the FIFA Pass system, which allows expedited visa appointments, as of April 15.

The waiver marks a rare loosening of immigration requirements under the administration and will ease travel burdens for at least some visitors to the US for the World Cup, which begins *June 11, 2026,* and is co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Players already exempt, fans were not

World Cup team players, coaches, and some staff were already exempt from the bond requirement as part of the administration's orders to prioritize visa processing for the tournament. However, ordinary fans with confirmed tickets had not been exempt until Wednesday.

As of early April, the number of World Cup fans affected by the bond requirement was believed to be relatively small, perhaps only about 250 people, according to US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. They noted that the number was changing rapidly as more people bought tickets, and some with tickets opted against traveling.

FIFA had requested the waiver, which required approval from both the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security. The request was discussed at multiple meetings at the White House and elsewhere in Washington over several months.

Broader travel restrictions remain

The administration has taken dramatic steps to restrict immigration that critics say are incongruous with the unifying message a global sporting event like the World Cup is supposed to project.

Travelers from Iran and Haiti remain barred from entering the US, though World Cup players, coaches, and support personnel are exempt. Travelers from Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal face partial restrictions under an expanded version of that travel ban.

Foreign travelers also face new requirements to submit their social media histories. The administration recently deployed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at airports when Transportation Security Administration personnel were not being paid.

Those measures prompted Amnesty International and dozens of US civil and human rights groups to issue a "World Cup travel advisory" warning travelers about the climate in the US.

Impact on tourism

In a report this month, the American Hotel & Lodging Association blamed visa barriers and other geopolitical issues for "significantly suppressing international demand," leading to hotel bookings for the tournament that are far below initial expectations.

The association said travelers are concerned about potentially lengthy visa wait times, increased fees, and uncertainty about how they are being processed to enter the US.

How the bond requirement works

The bond requirements are part of the administration's larger effort to clamp down on migrants who travel to the US on temporary visas but then overstay them. Visa applicants from the affected countries are required to pay $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 in bonds, which are refunded if the traveler complies with the terms of the visa or if the application is denied.