Foreigners planning trips to the United States may soon face one of the most extensive digital disclosure requirements ever introduced at a national border.
Under a new directive from the Trump administration, travelers will have to submit five years of their social media history along with extensive personal data before being allowed entry.
The rule, described in new documents released by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), affects even citizens of visa waiver countries such as the UK, Germany, and France.
We obtained a copy of the new documents for you here.
What was once a short online form for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is set to become a far more intrusive process.
Applicants will be expected to upload a selfie, provide every phone number and email address used over the last five years, and list relatives’ names, addresses, and birth dates. Authorities have stated that compliance will be “mandatory.”
Currently, the ESTA system is relatively straightforward: travelers pay $40 to give basic contact and emergency information, and if approved, receive permission to visit.
The proposed expansion transforms this into a digital audit of a person’s communications.
The move follows an earlier decision by the State Department in June to make some visa holders’ social media profiles publicly viewable.
Officials have justified these changes as a national security measure, saying that online behavior could reveal “anti-American activity.”
The timing of the new requirement coincides with preparations for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games, both of which will take place on US soil.
The administration argues that large international events draw heightened security risks, though the new data collection policy would apply broadly to all visitors, not only those attending the games.
It marks a shift from traditional border checks to a continuous form of data surveillance, where online activity becomes part of a traveler’s permanent record; an new precedent for global movement and personal privacy alike.
