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Some travellers to the US could soon see their trip become even more expensive as a new $250 (€287.6) “visa integrity fee” will go into effect on 1 October this year.
With travel numbers to the US already falling, this fee could further strain the country’s travel industry.
It will increase the total US visa cost to $442 (€379.2). This would make it one of the most expensive tourist visas in the world, according to the US Travel Association, along with Australia’s visitor visa under subclass 600, at AUD 195 (€108.9) and the UK’s six-month tourist visa at £127 (€145.9).
With a one-week mid-range US trip costing almost $2,000 (€1,722.1), according to money transfer comparison website Exiap, this added visa cost could make US travel significantly more expensive for families and group travellers in particular.
Which countries will be impacted?
The new visa integrity fee will affect travellers from non-visa waiver countries such as Argentina, Mexico, China, Brazil and India.
The fee is expected to hit Central and South American countries especially hard, potentially costing the US a large number of visitors from these places. It comes as visitor numbers from these countries to the US have been on the rise, despite a wider global downturn in US travel.
Mexican traveller numbers to the US rose almost 14 per cent this year, as of May, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. Similarly, visitors from Brazil increased 4.6 per cent year-to-date, while Argentinian travellers surged 20 per cent.
Overall, travel from South America to the US rose 0.7 per cent, whereas Central American travel increased 3 per cent.
However, with US trips already being relatively expensive for travellers from these countries, the visa fee increase could mean that visitors start looking at other potential holiday destinations.
On the other hand, Indian travel numbers to the US have dropped 2.4 per cent so far in 2025, dampened by an almost 18 per cent fall in students.
Similarly, Chinese visitor numbers to the US were still 53 per cent below 2019 level as of July.
EU member states part of the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), such as Belgium, France, Germany, Austria and Italy, among others, will not be impacted by the visa integrity fee.
These travellers can still visit the US for business or tourism stays for 90 days or less without a visa, as long as they have an approved Electronic System or Travel Authorisation (ESTA). The UK will also be exempt from the visa fee hike under the same rules.
The ESTA is an automated system implemented by the US government to determine which countries’ visitors can travel to the US for business or tourism for 90 days or less without a visa. It is not a visa itself, but an authorisation to travel under the VWP.
Concerns about reciprocal visa and other fees being imposed for US travellers by the affected countries have also arisen, similar to the reciprocal tariffs.
US travel continues to drop sharply in 2025
According to preliminary figures from the US National Travel and Tourism Office, international arrivals, not including travellers from Canada or Mexico, fell 1.6 per cent, or more than 3 million, so far in 2025 when compared to 2024.
Foreign travel to the US also dropped 3.1 per cent on an annual basis this July to 19.2 million. This was the fifth month that visitor numbers fell in 2025. It has countered expectations that travel numbers would finally top pre-pandemic levels of 79.4 million this year.
One of the main reasons for this sobering trend is because of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, as well as widespread tariffs and foreign aid cuts, which have all contributed to the declining appeal of the US as a travel destination.
This has led to increasing concerns about the number of visitors likely to attend upcoming sports events such as the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which would usually attract many travellers.
Other US immigration proposals, such as shortening the duration of cultural exchange visitor visas and student visas, have affected visitor levels too.
The US has also started a one-year pilot scheme from 20 August, under which some business and tourist visas could require bonds of up to $15,000 (€12,880.5). While this is expected to help curb the number of visitors overstaying their visas, it is also likely to further discourage foreign travellers.
Western Europe, which once accounted for a large portion of US tourism, has now seen travel numbers to the US fall as well. Danish travellers to the US fell 19 per cent in the first seven months of the year, according to the US National Travel and Tourism Office, whereas German tourist numbers dropped 10 per cent.
Similarly, French traveller numbers declined 6.6 per cent.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, international visitor spending in the US is expected to drop below $169 billion (€145.1bn) in 2025, down from $181bn (€155.4bn) last year.
“The world’s biggest travel and tourism economy is heading in the wrong direction,” Julia Simpson, the council’s president and CEO, told the Associated Press.
"While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the US government is putting up the ‘closed’ sign.”