Visiting the US? The government wants five years of your social media history.

The Trump administration is proposing new screening requirements for foreign travelers, seeking to mandate that tourists from dozens of countries submit five years of their social media history before being allowed into the United States. The plan was detailed in a notice published this week in the Federal Register by Customs and Border Protection, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security.

Donald Trump also confirmed it’s something they’re looking at implementing:

Reporter: There is a new proposal from DHS that would ask tourists from other countries to handover 5 years of social media history. Are you concerned that cause a decline in tourism?

Trump: No, we’re doing so well. We just want to make sure we’re not letting the wrong people… pic.twitter.com/F1I1BxAdCc

— Acyn (@Acyn) December 10, 2025

According to CBS, The proposal would apply even to visitors from countries that currently enjoy visa-free travel to the U.S. through the Visa Waiver Program. Under current rules, citizens of these nations can visit the U.S. for up to 90 days for tourism or business without applying for a visa. Instead, they must complete an online application through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). It is not clearly a plan to require social-media histories from all foreign-entry visitors — at least not yet.

The administration’s new plan would significantly expand the information these travelers must provide, transforming ESTA into a mobile-only system and adding new data requirements. According to the CBP notice, applicants would be required to submit five years of social-media history — the only mandatory new field in the proposal.

The notice also discusses several additional ‘high-value data fields’ that CBP may begin collecting ‘when feasible,’ such as historical email addresses, phone numbers, and certain family information. Biometrics — including face, fingerprint, iris, and DNA — are also mentioned. These are not required for ESTA applicants at this time.

The proposed change comes as the U.S. prepares to host 2026 FIFA World Cup events, which are expected to bring an influx of international visitors, including tourists from many visa-free countries. It’s likely these changes will cause many travelers to refrain from coming.

The Visa Waiver Program includes dozens of countries, whose citizens would be affected by the new policy:

Countries in the Visa Waiver Program:

• Andorra

• Australia

• Austria

• Belgium

• Brunei

• Chile

• Croatia

• Czech Republic

• Denmark

• Estonia

• Finland

• France

• Germany

• Greece

• Hungary

• Iceland

• Ireland

• Israel

• Italy

• Japan

• South Korea

• Latvia

• Lithuania

• Luxembourg

• Malta

• Monaco

• Netherlands

• New Zealand

• Norway

• Poland

• Portugal

• San Marino

• Singapore

• Slovakia

• Slovenia

• Spain

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• Taiwan

• UK

The Federal Register notice states that the public has 60 days to comment on the proposal.

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This article was updated after publication to include that it’s not clear yet if this will be required for all foreign countries, outside of ones in the VSP.