A new proposal filed on Tuesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would require foreign travelers visiting the United States to submit a long list of personal data, including their social media history and biometrics like DNA.
Here’s what to know about the Trump administration’s proposed entry requirements for foreign tourists.
What information will travelers have to provide?
Travelers from select countries are currently eligible to apply for a visa waiver. This program allows people to visit the United States for up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes without a visa as long as they first obtain electronic travel authorization.
The new CBP proposal would require applicants to submit additional information under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program.
Among the new mandatory elements is a requirement that applicants provide up to five years of their social media history for review.
Xiao Wang, co-founder and chief executive of the visa and immigration assistance firm Boundless, told the New York Times that applicants have been able to list their social media accounts on the form since 2016, but only on an optional basis.
Wang told the Times he believes CBP will increasingly consider the absence of social media records as “a sign that the applicant is hiding something.” That could potentially lead to a CBP rejecting more visa waiver applications.
The new rules would also require foreign visitors to provide up to 11 “high value data elements.” The fields include:
- Biometrics (face, fingerprint, DNA and iris)
- Telephone numbers used in the last five years; email addresses used in the last ten years
- IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos
- Family member names, birth dates, places of birth, phone numbers and residences.
Which countries are affected?
Residents from 42 countries are currently eligible for the visa waiver program.
Notably, that list includes at least 17 nations that will send teams to North America for the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The participating World Cup countries affected are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland.
That list could grow with six bids in the 48-team tournament still up for grabs.
World Cup matches will begin on June 11, 2026. Eleven U.S. cities will host matches during the 39-day tournament including East Rutherford (MetLife Stadium), Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field) and Boston (Gillette Stadium).
When will the new requirements take effect?
CBP announced that it will accept 60 days of public comment on the proposal, which was filed in the Federal Register on Dec. 10.
In a statement to the New York Times, a CBP spokesperson said the proposal is “the first step in starting a discussion to have new policy options to keep the American people safe.”
What has Trump said about the plan?
The Trump administration’s proposal has raised concerns among legal experts and critics of his broad crackdown on both legal and illegal immigration.
Bo Cooper, a partner at Fragomen Immigration Firm, told the New York Times that it will “be interesting to watch the tourism” numbers if the CBP proposal is adopted in its current state.
“The new method involves looking at online speech, and then denying travel based on discretion and policy about the kinds of things that get said,” he said.
In a statement to Axios, Electronic Frontier Foundation senior staff attorney Sophia Cope said that using social media surveillance against non-citizens has “chilled the free speech and invaded the privacy of innocent travelers, along with that of their American family, friends, and colleagues.”
Trump has brushed off concerns about the U.S. tourism industry taking a hit over his administration’s policies.
“No. We’re doing so well,” Trump said on Wednesday. “We want safety. We want security.
“We want to make sure we’re not letting the wrong people come enter our country.”
