ESTA travel authorization may soon also include social media history for visa-free visitors to the U.S. Credit: Ivan Marc, Shutterstock
Traveling to the United States could soon feel very different for millions of people, including Brits, Spaniards and most Europeans, after the US government announced controversial plans to tighten rules for people entering the country under the visa-free program. The Trump administration has proposed requiring applicants to submit five years of social media history and a long list of new personal information before being allowed to set foot on American soil.
The proposal was published in the Federal Register, the official record of the U.S. government, on December 10th. Barring legal challenges, a formal decision is expected within 60 days.
What America wants: social media, phone numbers, email… and even family details
Currently, citizens of 42 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, and Spain, can travel to the United States visa-free for up to 90 days by filling out an ESTA form. It’s a quick process, at least it has been so far.
Under the new rules, applying for ESTA will be much more onerous. Instead of simply declaring passport details and basic contact information, travelers must:
- List all social media handles you have used in the past 5 years
- Provide all phone numbers used in the past 5 years
- Submit an email address you have used in the last 10 years
- Only then will you hand over personal information about your family (name, date of birth, phone number, place of birth, place of residence).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection describes social media information as a “required data element,” indicating that it is not optional.
The move effectively turns ESTA into a mini-visa application with a level of scrutiny many travelers have never experienced before.
Why now? World Cup, security concerns and stricter restrictions on foreign tourists
Although the proposal does not directly spell out the reasons behind this expanded surveillance, the timing provides some clues.
The United States is preparing to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico. This tournament is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists and is a closely guarded event. With global tensions rising, US authorities appear keen to tighten border controls long before the Games begin.
But the move also fits neatly into the broader political direction the Trump administration has taken over the past year. The government has already raised admission fees for foreign tourists to national parks, and explained the decision as “we want to give priority to Americans.”
This approach coincides with a notable slump in foreign tourism. According to the U.S. Travel Association, international arrivals in 2025 are expected to decline by 6.3% compared to 2024, and this decline is primarily due to the harsher environment for travel to the United States.
Travel companies have been warning for months that growing hostility toward foreign travelers is already hitting the industry hard, and the new ESTA rules are unlikely to reassure hesitant travelers.
Policies that could change how Europeans travel to the United States
For the millions of Europeans who visit the United States for vacations, study tours, business meetings, family visits, and more, these changes could fundamentally change the experience. Asking border officials to sift through five years of someone’s online life raises obvious privacy concerns, with critics arguing that the system could end up penalizing travelers for jokes, political posts or old accounts they no longer use.
It can also be an added burden for frequent travelers, who now need to collect years of digital history for a process that once took only minutes.
Supporters of the proposal argue that stronger vetting is essential in a world where online threats are becoming more prevalent. But even in the security field, questions are being raised about whether the United States has the ability or legal clarity to fairly and consistently analyze such vast amounts of personal data.
What is clear is that ESTA, once considered a quick and convenient way to enter the United States, could soon become a more demanding and burdensome application. And with visitor numbers already declining, the travel industry is bracing for the possibility that more travelers will decide the process isn’t worth the effort.
For now, the rule is just a proposal, but unless someone challenges it in court, it’s expected to become official within a few weeks.
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