Chicago – February 12, 2026
Travel associations are warning that new regulations for visitors planning a trip to the US would be a “barrier to travel”.
A proposal from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), published in December in the federal register, would make it mandatory for would-be travellers to make their social-media history from the past five years public when applying for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
The permit is required for short stays by citizens of 41 visa-waiver countries. Providing social media information is currently optional.
What does the new proposal include?
The draft rule outlines a significantly expanded list of information CBP wants to gather.
Travellers would also need to provide every email address and phone number they have used in the past five years, plus the names and birth dates of close family members.
In an unusual twist, CBP may also require a mandatory selfie. It is also seeking authority to collect additional biometrics, including DNA and iris scans.
The proposals were open for public comment for 60 days. This has now closed, but an implementation date has not been set.
