WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States almost tripled the number of countries whose citizens must pay bonds of up to $15,000 to apply for entry into the country.

Less than a week after adding seven countries to the list of nations subject to visa bonds, bringing the total to 13, the State Department added 25 more on Tuesday. The bond requirement for the latest additions will go into effect on January 21, according to a notice posted on the travel.state.gov website.

The move means that 38 countries, most of them in Africa but some in Latin America and Asia, are now on the list, making the process of obtaining a U.S. visa unaffordable for many.

It is a new measure that tightens entry requirements into the United States, which also include requiring citizens of all countries that require visas to appear for in-person interviews and reveal social media histories, as well as detailed accounts of their and their families' previous travel and accommodation arrangements.

US officials have defended the bonds, which can range from $5,000 to $15,000, arguing that they are effective in ensuring that citizens of the targeted countries do not overstay their visas.

Payment of the bond does not guarantee that a visa will be granted, but the amount will be refunded if the visa is denied or when a visa holder demonstrates that he or she has complied with the terms of the visa.

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The new countries covered by the visa bond requirement as of January 21 are Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Previously it applied to Bhutan, Botswana, Central African Republic, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and Zambia.

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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.