Since October last year, traveling to the USA has become significantly more expensive. At the time, we reported on the drastic increase in fees for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and the introduction of the Visa Integrity Fee for longer stays. In the future, traveling to the USA could not only become more expensive, but also quite uncomfortable.
The reason for this is plans to include social media activity as a mandatory data element in the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). In plain language: Anyone who is active on platforms such as X, Facebook, or Instagram, for example, will have to disclose their activity over the last five years if they want to enter the US via the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) with an ESTA application. The plans have caused quite a stir and created a lot of uncertainty. We shed some light on the situation: What applies now and what will apply in the future?
- Overwiew:
- What applies so far?
What is planned?
When will the restrictions come into effect?
What applies so far?
Until now, Germans and many other Europeans who use the Visa Waiver Program, which allows stays of up to 90 days without a visa, have not been required to provide data from their social media accounts. This is voluntary when applying for ESTA.
The situation is already different for travelers who require a visa, such as students or employees who want to stay in the US for a longer period of time. Since 2019, they have been required to disclose their social media activities.
In mid-2025, there was a further tightening of the rules specifically for student visa: since then, applicants have been required to make their social media profiles publicly accessible.
What is planned?
According to plans by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, travelers who do not need a visa will also be required to provide details of their social media accounts and activities over the last five years when applying for ESTA (Executive Order 14161, “Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats”). Personal information such as telephone numbers and email addresses from recent years, biometric data, and family details will also be requested.
When will the restrictions come into effect?
The plans were published in December 2025 in the Federal Register of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. A 60-day period for comments and objections then ran until the end of February. The feedback received will now be discussed and reviewed within two months. The draft is then going to be revised again, taking into account any relevant comments. Realistically, the changes are likely to come into force by this summer. As a precaution, anyone planning a trip to the US should review their social media accounts and clean them up if necessary.