Tourists from 42 countries may soon also be required to disclose their email accounts, detailed family history and biometrics when entering the United States.
Published December 11, 2025
Visitors eligible to enter the United States without a visa may soon be required to provide more personal information to the Department of Homeland Security, including details such as social media activity, email accounts and family background.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is proposing to collect up to five years of social media data from travelers from certain visa-exempt countries, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Wednesday.
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The proposed requirements would apply to travelers using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) under the Visa Waiver Program, which allows nationals of 42 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Qatar, Greece, Malta, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Israel, and South Korea, to travel to the United States for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes.
Currently, ESTA automatically screens applicants and grants travel authorization without the need for an in-person interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate, unlike a standard visa application.
Currently, ESTA applicants must provide a more limited set of information, including the names of their parents, current email addresses, and details of their past criminal history.
A question asking travelers to disclose social media information was first added to the ESTA application in 2016, but remains optional.
New rules also cover metadata, email history
The new notice also states that CBP will request additional personal information from visitors, such as a phone number used within the past five years and an email address used within the past 10 years.
The agency also said it plans to add what it calls “high-value data fields” to ESTA applications “where possible.” These include metadata from electronically submitted photos, extensive personal information about the applicant’s family, such as place of birth and phone number used in the past five years, and biometric information such as fingerprints, DNA, and iris data.
The announcement did not say what the administration was looking for in visitors’ social media accounts or why it asked for more information.
But CBP said it is following an executive order signed in January by President Donald Trump calling for increased screening of people entering the United States to prevent possible national security threats from entering the country.
Travelers from countries not participating in the Visa Waiver Program system are already required to submit social media information, a policy dating back to the first Trump administration. This policy continued during the administration of US President Joe Biden.
The public has 60 days to submit comments on the proposed changes before they are finalized, according to a Federal Register notice.
