Die USA führen eine neue Visagebühr ein: + 250 $ für Ehrlichkeit

23.07.2025

The US introduces a new visa fee: +$250 for honesty

From the 2025 fiscal year, the USA will introduce a new mandatory visa fee for foreign citizens applying for non-immigrant visas. The new payment, named 'honesty visa fee', will be from $250 and will affect most temporary visa categories, including tourist (B-1/B-2), student (F-1), business and others. An exception is made for citizens of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, such as EU countries, Australia, and Japan, for trips up to 90 days.

According to the US State Department, the fee will be collected at the time of visa issuance and may be refunded to the applicant after the trip, provided that they have not violated the visa regime. However, the refund mechanism has not yet been determined. Immigration lawyers call the payment a 'refundable deposit', but point out a lack of transparency in its application and purpose.

The funds collected from the new fee are planned to be directed towards strengthening immigration control, combating visa regime violations, and funding border security. If the applicant does not request a refund, the money will be transferred to the US government budget.

The rule about the visa fee will officially come into effect during the year 2025. Detailed conditions and the refund procedure will be published on our website. Authorities also do not rule out an annual adjustment of the amount considering inflation.