The United States is planning to make it compulsory for millions of travellers to submit their social media details before entering the country under its visa-free travel programme.
A new public notice from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shows that officials want to update the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
The proposal has been released ahead of its official publication in the Federal Register.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), said travellers would now have to provide a list of their social media accounts from the past five years as part of a broader effort to strengthen security checks.
CBP said the move is required under Executive Order 14161, signed in January 2025, which directs government agencies to tighten screening to better identify possible foreign threats.
Previously, ESTA applicants were only asked to ‘voluntarily’ share social media information. Under the new rule, it would become mandatory.
“The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years,” the notice reads.
The agency said this will help verify travellers’ identities, detect false applications, and improve security assessments.
But the proposal goes much further. CBP also wants to collect email addresses used in the last 10 years, telephone numbers used in the last five years, IP addresses and metadata from submitted photos, extensive family information, A wide range of biometrics — face, fingerprints, iris, and even DNA.
DHS says the expanded data collection will align with updated federal identity-verification rules introduced in April.
Another significant change is the plan to shut down the ESTA web portal.
All future applications would have to be submitted through the mobile app.
The Visa Waiver Program, qhich includes 40 countries, processes more than 14 million ESTA applications each year.
The new requirements are expected to increase the amount of time and effort travellers need to complete the process.
DHS is currently asking the public to comment on the proposal, including the mandatory social media requirement.
The feedback period will remain open for 60 days after the notice appears in the Federal Register.
If adopted, the changes would amount to one of the biggest expansions of digital identity and social-media screening in US immigration history.
KanyiDaily recalls that the United States recently imposed fresh visa restrictions on a number of Nigerians accused of violating religious freedom.
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