Travelers to the US must pay a new $250 'visa integrity fee' — What to know

Visitors to the United States will soon need to pay a "visa integrity fee," according to a provision of President Donald Trump administration's recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act.  

The fee applies to all visitors who need non-immigrant visas to enter, and cannot be waived.

However travelers may also be able to get the fees reimbursed, according to the provision.

Details about the new requirement are scant, which has resulted in "significant challenges and unanswered questions regarding implementation," a spokesperson from the U.S. Travel Association told CNBC Travel.

However, here is what is known thus far.

How much is the fee?

The fee will be at least $250 during the U.S. fiscal year 2025, which runs from Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025. However, the Secretary of Homeland Security is free to set the fee higher, according to the provision.

Thereafter, the visa integrity fee will be adjusted for inflation.

Who must pay the new fee?

The "visa integrity fee" applies to all visitors who need non-immigrant visas, which includes tourists, business travelers and international students.

When is the fee paid?

The fee is paid when the visa is issued, according to the provision. Thus, visitors whose visa requests are denied will not be charged.

Does the fee replace other visa fees?

No, the provision states that the new fee is "in addition to" other fees, including regular visa fees.

"For example, an H-1B worker already paying a $205 application fee may now expect to pay a total of $455 once this fee is in place," Steven A. Brown, a partner at the Houston-based immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, wrote in a post on his firm's website.

Additionally, the fee must be paid on top of a "Form I-94 fee," which the One Big Beautiful Bill Act increased from $6 to $24. That fee must be paid by anyone who is required to submit a Form 1-94 arrival and departure record, which applies to most travelers.

How can travelers get reimbursed?

To get their money back, visa holders must comply with the conditions of the visa, which includes "not accept[ing] unauthorized employment," and not overstay the visa validity date by more than five days, according to the provision.

Reimbursements will be made after the travel visa expires, it says.

The fee has not yet been implemented, according to Brown.

It is not clear when it will begin.

"I believe it would need a regulation, or at least a notice in the Federal Register, regarding implementation on collection," said Brown.  

It is also unclear how travelers will pay the fee, the U.S. Travel Association told CNBC.

"The bill directs the DHS Secretary to charge the fee, but DHS does not own the visa application, issuance or renewal process — so where and when would DHS collect the fee?" the spokesperson said.  

In response to CNBC's enquires, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: "The visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination before implementation."

More questions surround how and when the reimbursement process kicks in.

Since many visas are valid for several years, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office said it expects "a small number of people would seek reimbursement."

Moreover, "CBO expects that the Department of State would need several years to implement a process for providing reimbursements. On that basis, CBO estimates that enacting the provision would increase revenues and decrease the deficit by $28.9 billion over the 2025‑2034 period."

Brown said he is advising clients to treat the fee as non-refundable.

"If you get it back, great. But it is usually difficult to get money back from the government," he said. "I would rather them view it as a 'bonus' if they get the refund."

"President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill provides the necessary policies and resources to restore integrity in our nation's immigration system," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNBC.

Data shows most visa holders comply with their visa terms. For the fiscal years between 2016 and 2022, between 1%-2% of non-immigrant visitors overstayed their visas in the United States, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.

However, an estimated 42% of the approximately 11 million unauthorized population living in the United States entered the country legally, but overstayed their period of admission, the data shows.

Brown said the visa integrity fee will likely impact B visa holders — or leisure and business travelers — and international students more than other types of travelers.

"For B visa holders, they may not want to add an additional $250 per person to their trip costs," he said.

The new fee, plus the I-94 fee, come as the United States prepares to host several major events in 2026, including the "America 250" celebration, in honor of the country's 250th anniversary, and parts of the FIFA World Cup.

These hurdles are compounded by problems at Brand USA, the destination marketing organization that promotes inbound travel into the United States, which saw the One Big Beautiful Bill Act slash its funding from $100 million to $20 million.

The cuts came after the U.S. Commerce Department fired nearly half of Brand USA's board members in April.

Brand USA did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.

Ahead of the passage of the new legislation, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman praised the bill's contributions to U.S. infrastructure, air traffic control and border security.

But, he added: "The smart investments in the travel process make foolish new fees on foreign visitors and reductions to Brand USA, America's promotion arm, that much harder to swallow."

—CNBC's Kaela Ling contributed to this report.