World Cup fans won't have to pay $15,000 US visa bond

Dubai: Amid all the ticket drama surrounding this summer’s World Cup, there is at least some good news for travelling fans, with the Trump administration confirming that supporters from 50 countries will no longer have to pay the $15,000 (AED 55,000) US visa deposit requirement, as long as they are travelling with valid World Cup match tickets.

Five of the nations included, Algeria, Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Tunisia, have already secured their places at the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico starting on 11 June.

The visa bond requirement, introduced last year, was designed to help reduce instances of visitors overstaying their visas, according to a notice from the State Department.

While players and coaching staff involved in the tournament were already exempt, regular fans with confirmed World Cup tickets had not been covered by the exemption until Wednesday.

The 12-month pilot scheme, launched last August, formed part of a broader immigration crackdown by the administration.

The State Department said the policy aimed to limit visa overstays and cases where screening or vetting information was considered insufficient. The bond was refundable once the visitor’s stay ended.

In a statement, FIFA said the announcement demonstrates the ongoing collaboration with the White House "to deliver a successful, record-breaking and unforgettable global event".

"We are grateful to the Administration for the ongoing partnership."

While the bond requirement has now been lifted for football fans from the 50 affected countries, travellers from Iran and Haiti are still subject to entry restrictions. However, players and coaching staff from those nations are exempt when travelling for World Cup-related duties.

Meanwhile, visitors from Ivory Coast and Senegal, both of which have qualified for the tournament, remain partially affected under an expanded version of the travel ban.

Separately, the US government announced late last year that visitors from multiple countries may be required to submit up to five years of social media history as part of the entry process, a measure that could also impact World Cup travellers.

Human rights organisations have cautioned that such policies may increase the risk of denied entry, heightened surveillance, expanded travel restrictions, and concerns around profiling and social media screening.