Visitors heading to the US under a visa waiver program may soon have to submit details of their social media activity from the past five years, according to a new proposal from the Trump administration.

The plan, announced by US Customs and Border Protection, would require visitors to include this information when completing the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, known as ESTA.

The proposed policy targets citizens from 42 countries currently eligible to enter the US without a visa for short stays. These include the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Israel, Qatar, Greece and several other European nations. ESTA allows visitors from these countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa by submitting an online application.

US policies increasing data demands on visitors and social media use

Under current rules, applicants are asked to provide personal information such as passport details, date of birth, and any criminal history. A section for social media accounts was added in 2016, but answering it has been optional. The latest proposal would make it a mandatory part of the application.

Along with social media handles, the updated form would collect what officials have described as high-value data. That includes phone numbers and email addresses used over the previous five years, as well as information on close relatives such as names, dates and places of birth, home addresses and contact numbers, all covering the same time period.

Tourists to the US would have to submit five years of social media history under new Customs and Border Protection plans

Visitors on the ESTA program would also need to submit a selfie

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) December 10, 2025

Customs and Border Protection website mentions that travelers can currently leave the social media section blank without any negative assumptions being made. However, the agency’s new proposal would remove that flexibility.

The public has until February 9 to comment on the proposed changes. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, has not yet provided further clarification on how the rule might affect entry decisions.

Expanded screening measures for student visa applicants

This policy is part of a broader immigration strategy under President Donald Trump aimed at tightening both legal and illegal paths into the country. Over the past year, the administration has made extensive changes across the immigration system, with increased scrutiny placed on both visa applicants and individuals already in the US.

Officials have also turned attention to those entering the country on student visas. In June, the State Department instructed embassies and consulates to assess whether applicants expressed hostile views toward American culture, government, or institutions.

Officers were advised to ask applicants to make their social media profiles public and to consider the lack of an online presence as a potential concern during the screening process.