U.S. proposes social media inspections on visitors

U.S. Customs and Border Protection this week in the Federal Register published a series of proposed changes to its current entry and exit protocols for foreign nationals. 

They include requirements for business travelers and tourists entering the U.S. from Visa Waiver Program countries to submit five years of social media identifiers through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, which would allow CBP access to five years of social media posts.

The proposed requirement comes after travel risk-management advisors earlier this year flagged social media as an area that was ripe for review during the immigration process and cited European Union officials using "burner phones" to "avoid issues of free speech" when passing through border patrol at U.S. airports.

Requiring a foreign national to submit five years of social media history upfront during the ESTA process would shift such an inspection to a pre-travel approval, potentially preventing or delaying individuals engaging in derogatory statements about the U.S. or its government in their social media accounts from receiving authorization to travel into the country.

The social media requirement rides along with several other expanded information fields that CBP wants to impose on international business travelers and tourists. Other fields would include up to five years of prior telephone numbers and addresses for the ESTA applicant, IP addresses, and broadly expanded information about immediate family members like dates and places of birth, residences and telephone numbers going 10 years. It also calls for the current ESTA website forms to be phased out in favor of a mobile app.

The CBP proposal is open for public comment for the next 60 days.

According to documentation in the Federal Register, the additional information is needed to meet the standards required by an executive order that President Donald Trump signed in January to increase vetting of international visitors to protect the U.S. "from foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats."

If finalized, the requirements could have implications for many international travelers, beyond the increased time it takes to fill out the request for authorization, which Erickson Immigration Group estimated would increase to 22 minutes.

Immigration law firm Fragomen wrote on its website about the proposed requirements: "ESTA applicants should be aware that if these changes are finalized, they would be asked for a higher level of personal detail in future applications and become subject to a social media review by CBP. The increase in data collection could also mean that ESTA applicants would face an increased likelihood of being flagged for closer scrutiny and/or would experience longer waits for ESTA approval."

Another deterrent for inbound U.S. travel?

The U.S. Travel Association in October estimated arrivals of international visitors would reach 67.9 million in 2025. That's down from from 72.4 million in 2024 and a $12.5 billion decline in travel revenue. The association cited stricter entry rules and "America First" policies for the decline.

U.S. Travel forecasted that international arrivals would jump 3.7% in 2026, boosted by the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament and the 250th anniversary of the USA. The U.S. will host the Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles.

Just last month, U.S. Travel backed a proposed bill that would restore funding to Brand USA, the country's destination marketing organization, that promotes travel to the U.S. to nations across the globe.

"We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to welcome the world -- through the World Cup, America 250 and the Olympics," U.S. Travel CEO Geoff Freeman said.

How expanded ESTA requirements might impact the country's ability to draw visitors is not clear, but according to U.S. Travel, the country has seen the impact of other, similar moves. The association in October called out the potential risks to its sunnier travel forecasts for 2026: "The U.S. risks further decreasing international inbound visits based on potential increases in visa fees, extended wait times for visa applications and renewals, and negative sentiment towards the U.S. in key markets."

Several countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Canada, previously this year issued U.S. travel warnings. Canadian travelers, specifically, have avoided the U.S. in a boycott. Also, some businesses have reported reduced travel to the U.S.

Significant changes in the information required to travel to the U.S. -- especially information that could be seen as an invasion of free speech -- are unlikely to further tourism or business travel.

Source: Business Travel News