Travelling to the United States just got scarier. US President Donald Trump’s administration is mounting up the checks that will be in place for those seeking to get a tourist visa. According to a 11-page notice published in the Federal Register on Wednesday (US time), the US Customs and Border Protection details several news rules that will go into effect in regards to the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, aka ESTA.
In addition to the ramped up policies surrounding social media vetting, the information published in the Federal Register (can be viewed online)
Social media vetting, DNA collection: New rules for US tourist visa?
In order to comply with the January 2025 Executive Order 14161 (Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats), CBP is set to add several “high value date fields” to the ESTA application.
These new inclusions will incorporate “biometrics” – face, fingerprint, DNA and iris.
Other information included in the “high value data fields” would demand travellers to submit telephone numbers used in the last five years, email addressed used in the last ten years, IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos, family member names, family number telephone numbers used in the last five years, family member dates of birth, family member places of birth, family member residencies, business telephone numbers used in the last five years and business email addresses used in the last ten years.
As underlined in the CBP’s notice, social media would be foregrounded as a “mandatory data element” for an ESTA application. As a result, applicants would be required to provided their social media from the last 5 years.
What is ESTA?
According to the official CBP website, “ESTA is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).” The application in question “collects biographic information and answers to VWP eligibility question.”
As per an Independent report, a vast majority of Britishers especially avail ESTA to enter the US.
The US government website further states, “All eligible nationals or citizens of VWP countries who plan to travel to the United States for temporary business or pleasure under VWP are required to receive an authorization through ESTA prior to boarding a U.S.-bound airplane or vessel or presenting themselves for admission at a United States land border port of entry.”
Countries in the visa waiver program
Foreign citizens under this program enjoy visa-free travel to the US.
According to the US State Department website, this list includes the following countries:
- Andorra
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brunei
- Chile
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- orway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom (To be eligible to travel under the VWP, British citizens must have the unrestricted right of permanent abode in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man)
Read the Federal Register: public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-22461.pdf