US to impose $250 visa integrity fee on travelers

By Tu Nguyen July 21, 2025 | 01:00 am PT

Travelers wait at a check-in terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., May 9, 2025. Photo by Reuters

Foreign visitors to the U.S., the world’s largest economy, will soon have to pay a visa integrity fee of at least $250 under the Trump administration’s newly enacted One Big Beautiful Bill.

The fee will apply to all applicants for non-immigrant visas, including tourists, business travelers, and international students.

However, the exact implementation date and payment method remain unclear, CNBC reported citing the U.S. Travel Association.

The fee is to be paid only if the visa is approved. Applicants whose visas are denied will not be charged.

This new fee will be added on top of existing charges, including the Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee, reciprocity fees, and anti-fraud fees. As a result, the total cost of obtaining a U.S. tourist visa could now reach several hundred dollars, Forbes reported.