US Suspends Zimbabwe Visa Services, Imposes Bond on Malawi and Zambia Travelers

The U.S. has suspended routine visa services for Zimbabweans and introduced a pilot program requiring Malawian and Zambian travelers to pay up to $15,000 in bonds to curb visa overstays, as part of broader Trump-era travel restrictions on African nations.

The United States has announced a suspension of all routine visa applications for citizens of Zimbabwe, marking the latest in a series of travel restrictions targeting several African nations.

In a statement on Thursday, the U.S. State Department revealed that the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe would halt all routine visa services beginning Friday “while we address concerns with the Government of Zimbabwe.” The move comes shortly after Washington introduced a pilot program requiring citizens of Malawi and Zambia—two other African countries—to pay a visa bond of up to $15,000 for tourist or business travel to the United States. This bond would be forfeited if the traveler overstays their visa.

According to the embassy, the suspension for Zimbabwe is a temporary measure and falls under the Trump administration’s broader campaign to “prevent visa overstay and misuse.” The U.S. clarified that most diplomatic and official visas would be exempt from the pause.

Under President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, the U.S. has tightened travel rules for citizens from several African nations while increasing pressure on those governments to accept deportees from the U.S.—including individuals who are not their nationals.

In June, Washington imposed travel bans on citizens from 12 countries, seven of them in Africa, and applied heightened restrictions on seven additional nations, three of which are African. Furthermore, the U.S. demanded that 36 countries—most of them in Africa—improve their vetting procedures for travelers or face potential bans on their citizens visiting the United States.

Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia were among the countries on that list of 36, instructed to enhance their citizens’ travel documentation and address the legal status of their nationals living in the U.S. illegally.

“The Trump Administration is protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process,” the State Department emphasized on Thursday.

The recently announced bond policy, unveiled on Tuesday, stipulates that Malawian and Zambian applicants for U.S. tourist or business visas must pay bonds of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as part of their application.

In addition, travelers from these countries would be required to enter and exit the United States through one of three designated airports: Boston’s Logan International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, or Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C.

According to the State Department, the visa bond pilot program is set to take effect on August 20.