US could demand five-year social media history from tourists before allowing entry

Vacationers from Europe and different areas could possibly be requested to supply a five-year social media historical past earlier than given entry to america, in keeping with a new proposal from the US Customs and Border Safety service (CBP). The brand new rule would have an effect on guests from international locations who usually get pleasure from comparatively straightforward entry to the US through the Digital System for Journey Authorization (ESTA).

The brand new proposal cites an govt order issued by President Trump from January titled “Defending america From Overseas Terrorists and Different Nationwide Safety and Public Security Threats.” In his first yr in workplace, Trump has been hyper-focused on strengthening US borders and lowering what he calls unlawful immigration.

The US state division will conduct “on-line presence” evaluations for candidates and their dependents and require privateness settings on social media profiles to be made “public.” Candidates should record all of the social media handles they’ve used over the past 5 years and if any data is omitted, it might result in the denial of present and future visas. The CBP did not say what data they had been searching for or what could possibly be disqualifying.

On prime of the social media data, CBP could require applicant’s phone numbers and electronic mail addresses used over the past 5 and 10 years respectively, together with details about members of the family.

The brand new situations are liable to extend ESTA wait instances and drastically enhance the price of implementing it. The CPB’s doc means that an extra 5,598,115 man-hours could be required per yr, or round 3,000 full-time jobs plus all the prices that entails. Proper now, the ESTA utility prices $40, permits folks to go to the US for 90 days at a time and is legitimate for a two-year interval.

The obligatory social media reporting and different necessities might discourage vacationers. Some Australian vacationers who had been coming to the US for the upcoming World Cup have now stated that they’ve deserted these plans, in keeping with The Guardian, with one individual calling the brand new guidelines “horrifying.”

Nevertheless, when requested if the proposal might result in a tourism decline within the US, Trump stated he wasn’t involved. “No. We’re doing so effectively,” he advised a reporter. “We wish to be certain that we’re not letting the mistaken folks come enter our nation.”

The CPB emphasised that the brand new situations had been solely a proposal for now. “Nothing has modified on this entrance for these coming to america [currently],” a spokesperson advised the BBC. “This isn’t a ultimate rule, it’s merely step one in beginning a dialogue to have new coverage choices to maintain the American folks secure.”

If carried out, the rule would have an effect on folks from 40 international locations, together with the UK, Eire, France, Germany, Italy, Australia and Japan. The biggest variety of vacationers to the US come from Canada and Mexico, accounting for practically half of the overall — nonetheless, guests with passports from these two international locations do not require a visa or ESTA approval. Journey to the US was down three p.c this yr in comparison with 2024 as of August 2025, in keeping with the National Travel and Tourism Office.