United States visa for Basotho passport holders

Yes. Basotho citizens need a B1/B2 visitor visa for the United States, and the interview does not happen in Lesotho. Since 20 May 2021 the US Consulate General in Johannesburg has handled fee-based visa applications for Lesotho nationals; the embassy in Maseru keeps only diplomatic and certain no-fee categories. Since 2 April 2026 an applicant otherwise found eligible may also be required to post a bond of up to 15,000 US dollars before the visa is issued.

Quick facts

Visa required

Visa required: Yes, a B1/B2 visitor visa
Where you interview: US Consulate General, Johannesburg, not Maseru
Since: 20 May 2021. This is settled practice, not a recent change
Visa bond: Possible since 2 April 2026, up to 15,000 US dollars
Application fee: 185 US dollars, paid before booking
Getting there: Every route out of Lesotho crosses South Africa
ESTA: Not available. Lesotho is not in the Visa Waiver Program

Entry requirements

A Basotho passport valid well beyond your intended stay.
A completed DS-160 and the 185 dollar application fee, paid before booking the interview.
An interview appointment at the US Consulate General in Johannesburg, attended in person with biometrics.
Valid South African travel documentation to reach the interview and to depart, because there is no way out of Lesotho that does not pass through South Africa.
The bond, if the consular officer requires one. It is paid on the officer’s instructions and the visa is not issued until it clears.

How to apply for a US visitor visa from Lesotho

Complete the DS-160 and pay the 185 dollar fee, then book through the appointment service used by Mission South Africa. The application is handled by Johannesburg from the start, so do not begin by contacting Maseru.

Plan the trip to Johannesburg as part of the application rather than an afterthought. It is an international journey with its own border formalities, and the appointment requires you in person for biometrics.

Attend the interview. If a bond is required you are told at that point and given payment instructions directly; the amount is set by the officer within the programme’s bands and is not something you negotiate or arrange in advance.

If approved, the visa is issued after any bond clears, and the passport is returned through the courier arrangement rather than collected in Maseru.

Good to know

Being surrounded by one country changes what "travelling abroad to apply" means. Lesotho is the only state on earth entirely enclosed by another, so South Africa is not one option among several for reaching the interview or the flight: it is the only ground route that exists. Anyone whose South African documentation is not in order cannot get to Johannesburg to be interviewed, and cannot reach O.R. Tambo to fly, regardless of how the American application is going. Sort that first; it is the dependency everything else sits on.
This is not a new arrangement you are adapting to, which matters for the advice you read. Routine visa services for Lesotho moved to Johannesburg on 20 May 2021, five years before several neighbours were realigned to the same hub. So guidance written for the region about "services moving" is describing someone else’s recent change; for a Basotho applicant the Johannesburg route is simply how it has worked for years, and older advice pointing at Maseru for a tourist visa has been wrong for a long time.
The bond and the travel stack on top of each other, and that is the real cost of this route. The fee is 185 dollars, the journey to Johannesburg and back is its own expense, and since 2 April 2026 a bond of up to 15,000 dollars can be required before the visa is issued. None of the three is refunded because another failed: a refusal after you have travelled costs the fee and the trip, and a bond you cannot raise means an approved application that produces no visa.
Never pay a bond to anyone who contacts you about it. Instructions come from the consular officer at or after the interview, through official channels only. A bond programme involving five figures is exactly the shape of thing that attracts people offering to arrange it, and no third-party site has any role in taking that money.

Frequently asked questions

Do Basotho citizens need a visa for the United States?

Yes, a B1/B2 visitor visa. Lesotho is not in the Visa Waiver Program, so ESTA is not available.

Where do Lesotho nationals interview for a US visa?

At the US Consulate General in Johannesburg. It has handled fee-based visa applications for Lesotho nationals since 20 May 2021; Maseru retains only diplomatic and certain no-fee categories.

Do Lesotho applicants have to pay a visa bond?

They can be required to. Since 2 April 2026 an applicant otherwise found eligible may have to post up to 15,000 US dollars before the visa is issued. The officer sets the amount and gives instructions directly.

Can I pay the bond through an agency?

No. Instructions come only from the consular officer through official channels. Anyone else offering to take that payment should be ignored.

Do I need South African documents to apply?

In practice yes. Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa, so reaching the Johannesburg interview and the departure airport both require crossing it.

Related pages

Other passports for the United States

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on 25 August 2026.

US Mission to South Africa — from 20 May 2021 the Consular Section of the US Consulate General in Johannesburg provides visa services to nationals of Lesotho, except diplomatic categories; all fee-based nonimmigrant, immigrant and K visa applications for Lesotho nationals are processed there (za.usembassy.gov, ls.usembassy.gov)
US Department of State — Realignment of U.S. Visa Services in Africa to Regional Hubs (travel.state.gov)
Fragomen — B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot programme; Lesotho added effective 2 April 2026, bonds of 5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 US dollars set by the consular officer (fragomen.com)

Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.

Do Basotho passport holders need a visa for the United States?