The United States is proposing changes to its visa-free travel programme that could affect millions of global travellers.
Under new guidelines released by the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday, individuals seeking entry through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation will be required to submit their social media history covering the past five years.
The proposed update, detailed in a public notice ahead of its formal appearance in the Federal Register, forms part of broader measures aimed at strengthening national security.
The rule change directly follows Executive Order 14161, signed in January 2025, which mandates enhanced screening procedures to help identify foreign security threats.
At present, ESTA applicants are only invited to voluntarily provide their social media information. Under the proposed rules, this will become mandatory.
“The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last five years,” the DHS notice states.
US Customs and Border Protection said the change is necessary to improve identity verification, detect fraudulent submissions, and identify possible security concerns.
Beyond social media history, the new rules would significantly expand the range of personal information applicants must supply.
CBP intends to introduce several additional “high-value data fields,” including email addresses used over the past 10 years, phone numbers from the previous five years, IP addresses, and even metadata from photos uploaded during the application process.
The updated regulations also require more detailed family information and a broader set of biometric data, such as facial recognition, fingerprints, iris scans, and DNA samples.
The department stated that the expanded data collection is consistent with updated federal biographic-data standards issued earlier this year and improves the government’s ability to verify identities.
Another significant change proposed is a shift from the existing ESTA web portal to an application system that will operate exclusively via mobile devices.
If implemented, the new rules would apply to travellers from the 40 countries participating in the US Visa Waiver Programme.
With more than 14 million ESTA applications processed each year, the potential impact on international travel is considerable.
The DHS is requesting public comments on the proposal before it is finalised, with feedback open for 60 days from the date it appears in the Federal Register.
If adopted, the plan would mark one of the most extensive expansions of mandatory digital identity checks and social media screening in the history of US immigration policy.
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