Worldwide vacationers heading to the U.S. could quickly have to offer 5 years of social media historical past to enter the nation, following a proposal from U.S. Customs and Border Safety.
The proposal filed within the Federal Register on Wednesday would require vacationers to submit the web data when filling out an Digital System for Journey Authorization utility. This is applicable to vacationers from visa waiver program international locations who plan to remain within the U.S. for as much as 90 days, together with these from the UK, France, Italy, Greece, Japan and Australia.
Moreover, the proposal would add “high-value knowledge fields” to the ESTA utility, together with any e-mail addresses used within the final 10 years, phone numbers used prior to now 5 years and knowledge on vacationers’ members of the family (and their cellphone numbers). Vacationers would even be required to incorporate the IP addresses and metadata of any images submitted electronically, together with biometric data, together with from their face, fingerprints, iris or DNA.
The CBP stated it additionally plans to make selfies a compulsory a part of the appliance along with a photograph of vacationers’ passports.
The submitting within the Federal Register comes with a 60-day remark interval through which “the general public and affected companies” can weigh in.
At present, vacationers who’re eligible for the visa waiver program are merely required to offer an e-mail tackle, their dwelling tackle, their cellphone quantity and an emergency contact along with paying a $40 utility price (a rise this yr from the earlier price of $21). The journey authorization is then legitimate for 2 years.
Offering social media data has been an elective a part of the appliance since 2016, in accordance with The New York Instances.
Xiao Wang, the co-founder and chief govt of Boundless, a visa- and immigration-assistance firm, instructed the paper he expects the federal government to now view a scarcity of social media data as “an indication that the applicant is hiding one thing.”
A CBP spokesperson instructed The New York Instances that the proposal was not a closing rule however reasonably the “first step in beginning a dialogue to have new coverage choices to maintain the American individuals secure.”
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Erik Hansen, the senior vp and head of presidency relations for the U.S. Journey Affiliation, instructed TPG the group was “reviewing the proposed adjustments and dealing with the administration to make sure we are able to safely and effectively welcome hundreds of thousands of holiday makers for the World Cup and different main world occasions.”
“Screening should hold vacationers and our nation secure, however it should additionally hold the USA aggressive,” Hansen added. “If we fail to ship an environment friendly, safe and fashionable vetting course of, worldwide guests will select different locations.”
Making journey more durable for overseas guests
This isn’t step one the Trump administration has taken to single out worldwide guests to the U.S. It follows a slew of recent guidelines which are affecting inbound journey.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, non-U.S. residents will likely be required to pay an additional $100 price or buy a $250 annual go to go to a few of the hottest nationwide parks in what the administration has known as “America-first pricing.” And earlier this yr, the federal government carried out a $250 “visa integrity price” for vacationers to the U.S. with nonimmigrant visas, together with vacationers, enterprise vacationers and worldwide college students, in accordance with CNBC. That price might go up.
As we reported in our 2026 Journey Tendencies report, the U.S. tourism trade has taken an enormous hit this yr.
Worldwide journey to the U.S., specifically, has suffered. In reality, inbound worldwide journey is predicted to lower this yr for the primary time since 2020, falling to only 85% of 2019 ranges, in accordance with knowledge from the U.S. Journey Affiliation. And the World Journey & Tourism Council estimated earlier this yr that the U.S. was on observe to lose $12.5 billion in worldwide customer spending in 2025.
Nevertheless, the U.S. Journey Affiliation stated issues might change in 2026 because of huge occasions just like the FIFA World Cup.
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