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Travel associations are warning that new rules for guests planning a visit to the US can be a “barrier to travel”.
A proposal from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), printed in December in the federal register, would make it necessary for would-be travellers to make their social-media historical past from the previous 5 years public when making use of for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
The allow is required for brief stays by residents of 41 visa-waiver nations. Providing social media info is presently elective.
What does the brand new proposal embody?
The draft rule outlines a considerably expanded listing of data CBP desires to assemble.
Travellers would additionally want to offer each e-mail handle and cellphone quantity they’ve used up to now 5 years, plus the names and beginning dates of shut members of the family.
In an uncommon twist, CBP might also require a compulsory selfie. It can also be searching for authority to gather extra biometrics, together with DNA and iris scans.
The proposals had been open for public remark for 60 days. This has now closed, however an implementation date has not been set.
‘A barrier to journey’
Travel associations have denounced the proposals. ECTAA, the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations, says it has written to the CBP to boost “serious concerns” that the brand new measures may turn out to be a “barrier to travel”.
The group mentioned that whereas it totally recognises the safety aims, from a European traveller perspective the “cumulative effect” of the proposals dangers making journey to the US “more complex, intrusive, and less accessible”, doubtlessly “discouraging travel altogether”.
The affiliation has known as on the US to “avoid unnecessary requests” for social media knowledge and maintain the ESTA course of “simple, proportionate and traveller-friendly”.
According to analysis printed by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the adjustments to the ESTA programme may immediately scale back worldwide journey demand and “materially weaken” the US tourism economic system – decreasing customer spend by $15.7 billion (€13. 2 billion) and impacting 157,000 American jobs.
“Even modest shifts in customer behaviour, postpone by the deliberate adjustments, can have actual financial penalties for US Travel & Tourism, notably in a extremely aggressive world market,” mentioned Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of WTTC.
The proposed adjustments come amid a turbulent time for travellers visiting the US. Several have reported being denied entry after officers reviewed their on-line exercise and deemed it too essential of Donald Trump or JD Vance. Those embody a trio of German vacationers and a scientist turned away after his cellphone was inspected on the border this spring.
They additionally come because the United States ramps up preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Millions of worldwide followers are anticipated to journey for matches throughout the nation.
Stricter digital vetting for staff and college students
The new ESTA guidelines come on the heels of the United States tightening necessities for non-immigrant H-1B visas, which permit overseas staff in speciality occupations to take up short-term employment in fields akin to tech, medication, engineering and legislation.
From 15 December 2025, all H-1B candidates and their dependents need to endure a evaluation of their on-line presence, a course of already utilized to college students and alternate guests.
Applicants have been instructed to make their social media accounts public in order that officers can look at their exercise.
In an announcement outlining the brand new guidelines, the State Department reiterated that “a US visa is a privilege, not a right.”
The administration has additionally expanded its controversial journey ban and added new restrictions. Citizens of 19 nations (plus these with Palestinian Authority-issued journey paperwork) are totally banned, together with Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran and Haiti, whereas 20 extra are partially restricted.
Social media scrutiny provides to different journey obstacles
As the Trump administration revises its journey insurance policies, worldwide guests have additionally discovered themselves going through rising prices.
US nationwide parks lately launched ‘America-first’ pricing, imposing greater entry charges on overseas vacationers – a call criticised by some tourism teams as unwelcoming at a time when customer numbers stay beneath pre-pandemic ranges.
“It’s going to hurt local businesses that cater to foreign travellers,” Mark Howser, proprietor of a motel close to Glacier National Park in Montana, informed AP in November.
The new park charges and revised visa guidelines will transfer via their very own evaluation processes within the coming weeks. In the meantime, CBP says it should take into account public suggestions to its ESTA proposal earlier than issuing a ultimate rule.
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you possibly can go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.euronews.com/travel/2026/02/12/planning-a-us-trip-travellers-may-soon-need-to-make-their-social-media-history-public
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