Planning a trip to the United States?
Phil Mosley / Unsplash
New travel-entry rules under discussion in Washington could add an unexpected twist to your itinerary.
According to reports by the New York Times, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has proposed expanding the information required from international visitors before they arrive, including a review of up to five years of their social media activity. This change would apply even to travelers entering under the popular Visa Waiver Program, which currently lets nationals from about 40 countries — from the UK and Australia to Japan and much of Europe — visit the U.S. for up to 90 days without a traditional visa.
Under the draft plan, visitors using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) would be asked to provide social media identifiers covering their accounts and posts over the past several years as part of their application. In addition to social media, applicants might also be asked for past phone numbers, email addresses, precise family-member details and potentially biometric data.
For frequent flyers and holiday-makers alike, this represents a shift from the simple online form travelers have become accustomed to — which currently collects basic contact and passport information — toward a much deeper look at a visitor’s digital footprint before they even board a flight. Critics say such checks could slow approvals and deter people from choosing the U.S. as a destination, especially in an era when travel is rebounding around the world.
The proposal is still under review and open to public comment over the coming weeks, so it’s not yet set in stone. But if adopted, it could reshape how tourists plan even short stays in the U.S., from big-city breaks to bucket-list road trips.
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