The United States is moving to make social media disclosure a mandatory requirement for millions of travellers entering the country under its visa-free travel programme.
A new public notice issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirms that the proposed update to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) has been released ahead of its formal appearance in the Federal Register.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) explained that the revision would compel applicants to provide their social media accounts from the past five years as part of a wider security upgrade.
CBP said the update is intended to comply with Executive Order 14161, signed in January 2025, which instructs federal agencies to strengthen screening procedures to identify foreign security risks.
Previously, ESTA applicants were invited but not required to share their social media identifiers. Under the new framework, the disclosure becomes compulsory.
According to the notice, “The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years.”
The agency said making this information mandatory will enhance its ability to verify identities, detect fraudulent submissions, and identify potential threats.
The proposal includes several additional “high-value data fields” CBP intends to collect: email addresses used in the past 10 years, phone numbers from the last five years, IP addresses, metadata from uploaded photos, extensive family details, and a wide set of biometrics — including facial, fingerprint, iris, and even DNA data.
DHS said the expanded data collection aligns with updated federal biographic requirements issued in April and will strengthen identity verification across the system.
Another significant shift is the planned closure of the ESTA web application portal, forcing all submissions to go through the mobile app.
The Visa Waiver Program — used by travellers from 40 countries — handles over 14 million ESTA applications each year.
The added data obligations and app-only submission process are expected to substantially increase the compliance load on travellers, reflected in CBP’s revised estimates for processing time.
DHS is currently seeking public comments on the proposed changes, including the compulsory social media disclosure, during a 60-day review period following publication in the Federal Register.
If approved, the update would represent one of the most extensive expansions of digital-identity and social-media screening in US immigration procedures.