US drops Sh1.3 million visa bond for Mali citizens, ending diplomatic standoff
The reversal comes after Mali imposed a matching Sh1.3 million bond on US citizens, sparking a tense diplomatic standoff that threatened travel and visa relations between the two countries.
The United States has removed Mali from its list of countries whose citizens were required to pay a visa bond of up to Sh1.3 million (formerly $10,000) before travelling to the country, reversing a policy that had sparked a diplomatic standoff with Bamako earlier this month.
The reversal, announced in an updated list published by the US Department of State on October 23—the same day the bond was set to take effect—means Malian nationals will now apply for US visas under the standard procedures.
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Washington’s initial announcement on October 8, part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration stance, had required Malians to deposit the hefty bond before obtaining short-term business or tourist (B1/B2) visas, citing high visa overstay rates as the reason.
“Under this programme, consular officers must require any citizen or national travelling on a passport issued by Mali who is found otherwise eligible for a B-1/B-2 visa to post a bond in the amount of Sh646,450 or Sh1.3 million,” the US Embassy in Mali said in a statement at the time.
“The applicant must also submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 agreeing to the terms of the bond through the Department of the Treasury’s online payment platform. This requirement applies to all Malian passport holders regardless of place of application.”
Bamako swiftly responded on October 11 with a reciprocal measure, demanding that US citizens also post a Sh1.3 million bond before receiving Malian visas, describing it as an act of “reciprocity and fairness.”
“The Ministry, while acknowledging this measure, deplores the unilateral decision of the American Government, which undermines the provisions of the Agreement on the Institution of the Multiple-Entry Long-Term Visa between the two States, which entered into force on April 14, 2005,” Bamako said.
“In accordance with reciprocity, Mali has decided to establish an identical visa program, imposing on American nationals the same conditions and requirements as those applied to Malian citizens.”
Mali has not yet indicated whether it will lift its own retaliatory policy following Washington’s latest decision.
With the revision, the US has now listed Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, The Gambia, Malawi, and Zambia among African countries required to pay bonds of up to Sh1.9 million (formerly $15,000) before obtaining US B1/B2 visas.
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