Do Zambian passport holders need a visa for the United States?
By Pranav Muley · Software Engineer, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
Yes, and there is a second cost to plan for. Zambian citizens need a B1/B2 visitor visa, which costs 185 US dollars. Zambia has been on the US visa bond list since the programme opened on 20 August 2025, so a consular officer may require a refundable bond of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 US dollars as a condition of issuing the visa. This is long-standing rather than new.
Quick facts
Visa required- Visa required
- Yes, a B1/B2 visitor visa
- Application fee
- USD 185, unchanged since May 2023
- Visa bond
- Possible. USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000, set by the consular officer
- Is the bond refundable
- Yes, if you comply with its terms and depart on time
- Bond in force since
- 20 August 2025, made permanent 3 August 2026
- Interview
- Required in person, at the US Embassy in Lusaka
Entry requirements
- A Zambian passport valid for at least six months beyond your planned stay.
- An approved B1/B2 visa before travelling. There is no visa on arrival in the United States.
- A completed DS-160 and its confirmation page.
- The ability to post a bond of up to 20,000 US dollars if the consular officer requires one. It is decided case by case at the interview.
- Evidence of ties to Zambia you will return to, and proof of funds for the trip itself.
How to apply, and what the bond means
Complete the DS-160 online, pay the 185 dollar application fee, then attend an interview at the US Embassy in Lusaka. That much matches any B1/B2 application.
Zambia has been a covered country since the bond programme began, so the consular officer may make the visa conditional on posting a bond of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 dollars. Which amount, or whether a bond applies to you at all, is decided on your circumstances at the interview.
The bond is returned when you comply with its conditions and depart on time. It is held for the duration of the trip rather than spent, so what it really tests is whether you can put that much money aside and leave it there.
Good to know
- The bond does not replace the application fee, it sits on top of it, and the two behave differently. The 185 dollars is spent whatever the outcome and is not returned on refusal. The bond is a deposit that comes back to you in full on compliance. Budget them as two separate things, because only one of them is a cost.
- Zambia was in the first group of covered countries when the programme opened on 20 August 2025, so this is not a rumour, a proposal or something arriving next year. Anyone telling you the bond might not apply yet is working from information that was already out of date a year ago.
- The money is normally required before the visa is issued, not before you travel, which is the detail that catches people out on the sequencing. If a bond is set at your interview, the visa waits on it, so any flights booked around an expected issue date are at risk while you arrange the funds.
Frequently asked questions
Do Zambians need a visa for the USA?
Yes. Zambia is not in the Visa Waiver Programme, so a B1/B2 visitor visa is required before travelling. The application fee is 185 US dollars.
Do Zambians have to pay a US visa bond?
Possibly. Zambia has been on the visa bond list since 20 August 2025, so a consular officer may require a bond of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 dollars as a condition of issuing the visa.
Is the US visa bond refundable for Zambian applicants?
Yes. It is returned in full if you comply with the bond conditions and leave the United States on time. It is a deposit, not a fee.
How much does a US visa really cost for a Zambian citizen?
185 US dollars for the application, not refunded on refusal, plus the possibility of locking up 10,000 to 20,000 dollars as a refundable bond for the length of the trip.
When did the US visa bond start applying to Zambia?
Zambia has been covered since 20 August 2025, when the pilot programme began. The programme was made permanent on 3 August 2026.
Related pages
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- US Department of Homeland Security — Visa Waiver Program designated countries. Zambia is absent from the designation list of 42 countries. Read 2026-08-16.
- Federal Register, 9 June 2026, Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (2026-11513) — USD 185 MRV fee
- Federal Register, 3 August 2026, Visas: Visa Bond Program (2026-15726) — bonds of USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 set by the consular officer, refundable on compliance; finalises the pilot that began 20 August 2025; covered countries are published only on travel.state.gov, added on 15 days notice and modified on a rolling basis
- Countries Subject to Visa Bonds, 6 January 2026 revision: Zambia listed, effective 20 August 2025. travel.state.gov refuses automated clients, so this is taken from two independent immigration-law trackers of that revision, cross-checked against each other on 2026-08-16. NOT a browser read of the Department list.
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
