Paying the full bond will ensure that you can be released from custody until your court date. There are some bonds however that do not require payment. An unsecured bond or signature bond happens when the court holds a bond hearing and imposes the bail amount but it is determined that the defendant will not be required to pay that full amount to be released.

Form bonding is similar but it has a defendant signing an agreement that if they are unable to show up in a court of law, they will be required to surrender the total value of the bond.

A secured bond is the only type of bond that will require full payment. With a secured bond, the defendant will give a signed document of a security interest to an asset that is worth the total amount of the bail. A security interest works similarly to a deed and the person that holds the interest will have the legal right to possess these items, sell the piece of property, and more. It is similar to the agreement that is made with a mortgage lender with the agreement of foreclosure. 

A security interest or the full dollar amount of the bail can be paid, should the defendant fail to appear in court, this could lead to the bail being taken by the court in order to recover.

Surety bonds are some of the most common types of bonds that people will post. This type of bond works with a bail bonds company. Bail bonds companies will pay bail for a loved one or for yourself using someone as your representative. If you post a bail of $25,000 for example, the bail bonds company can post bail for you if you pay 10% of the fee or $2,500.

As long as you plan on attending court and following up with their agreement, you won’t be responsible for paying the full cost of the bail, risking your assets, and more.