There are a lot of scenarios that may necessitate paying an immigration bond, whether if it’s for yourself or someone you know. You may have a friend or family member that is detained by Homeland Security and, if they’re set bond, you need to pay that bond so they can be released. Or maybe you were granted voluntary departure or given an order of supervision, but only on the condition of paying a bond. Any of these scenarios will require that you understand the proper mechanism to pay the bond. And that proper mechanism is now known as CeBONDS. Short for Cash Electronic Bonds Online. Phased in earlier this year, it is, as of June 1, 2023, the only way to pay an immigration bond.

Prior to CeBONDS, bonds were paid in person at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. Bonds had to be paid using the proper cash equivalent (a cashier’s check or USPS money order), had to be paid at an ICE office that actually accepted bond payments, and had to be paid during regular office hours. A common frustration was that the payor of the bond would travel an hour or more to the closest ICE office, only to find out that the bond was not yet ready to be paid or the system was down, and the only thing to do was to make a second or third trip to try again.

Now, the system is online. And though there may be some bugs and glitches associated with it, at least you can deal with it from the comfort of your own home.

Need to pay a bond with CeBONDS? Here’s how you do it:

For starters, if you’re paying a bond for someone to be released from detention, you need to be a U.S. Citizen, Lawful Permanent Resident, a law firm, or a non-profit organization. If you’re not a citizen or a resident, you can post a bond on your own behalf if it is for voluntary departure or an order of supervision. If you still qualify to pay the bond, keep reading…

You need to create an account with your email address. Go to cebonds.ice.gov to create an account. Once you’re set up, log into your account and select “bond payment request”. Then you’ll put in the name and A-number (alien registration number) of the person for whom the bond is being paid. If the information doesn’t locate someone, try different combinations of the name, and make sure the A-number is correct. The A-number is a 9 digit number (or, sometimes 8 digits and you’ll need to add a zero to the front) that is usually on ICE paperwork or on the ID wrist bracelet of the detainee. Once the correct person is identified, you can proceed to enter your information as the person paying the bond (the “obligor”). You’ll have to provide your immigration status, social security number, name, address, phone number, and upload an acceptable form of identification. Once that is complete, you can submit your request to pay the bond.

As long as your request is submitted within regular business hours for the ICE office (9am – 3pm in the jurisdiction of the detainee), it should take about 1-2 hours for verification of your request. If the request is verified and approved, this change will display on your ICE CeBONDS webpage, confirming that the bond is ready for payment. From this point, there are two main steps.

The first of these steps is to complete and sign the contract that sets forth your obligations as the obligor. If you want to take a look at this paperwork, you can find it here. It will require that you provide a phone number and address for the individual on whose behalf you’re posting the bond. Next, you select the method of payment. Even though the process is online, you’ll have to go in person to a bank to complete the payment. You can select either to pay using Fedwire or ACH. Once you select the preferred method of payment, instructions will display, explaining how to complete the payment. You must print the required documents and proceed to your bank where you will make the payment. The bank will provide proof of payment and then you must upload this proof of payment online. Once the proof of payment is reviewed and accepted, it will show that the bond is posted. Once the individual is released – usually the same day – the change in custody status is also displayed on your CeBONDS page.

If you still have questions or want more information, another good resource to check out is a page of information put out by ICE, which includes a video tutorial that walks you through the payment process step-by-step.