New social media obligation for British and French visitors to the US to start ‘mid-2026’
There is confusion over the plan, with many expecting a February start date
New rules will require travellers to hand over historical social media information
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New travel requirements that will see British and French citizens visiting the US required to provide social media information will not come into force until mid-2026, authorities have confirmed.
The new plans, part of tougher border rules in the US, are set to require all travellers entering the US on an ‘Esta’ visa waiver to hand over significantly more information during the application process.
This includes most EU citizens, including French, as well as Britons, Australians, South Koreans, etc.
Required data includes social media account information from the last five years, as well as email addresses, phone numbers, and IP (internet) addresses from between five and ten years.
Currently, this information is optional for Esta applicants to provide but is mandatory for some people applying for certain longer visas, such as certain international students.
Authorities will be able to perform background checks on applicants using the information given, refusing their visa application or requiring further vetting upon arrival if it flags any potential issues or anti-US sentiment.
The US State Department has previously instructed embassies and consulates processing other types of visas to check social media accounts for “hostile attitudes towards [US] citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles,” and it is likely similar rules will apply under the rules aimed at Esta applicants.
As a reminder, the Esta visa waiver is mandatory for all short-term travellers from eligible countries, similar to the UK’s ETA and EU’s incoming EES system.
Tougher rules from ‘mid-2026
The measure was announced in late 2025 and included in the Federal Register in December.
A review period of the plans by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ended on February 9, and many both within the US and internationally expected the measures to be rolled out immediately after this.
Indeed, there were media reports that the measure had taken effect or were imminent, following an increase in application price from $21 to $40 on February 8.
Confusion persisted however, as those applying after this date were not required to provide the additional personal information.
On February 11, the US Embassy in France confirmed that “the proposed requirement to provide social media identifiers for ESTA applicants has not yet come into effect.”
Following the review period, the plans must be placed back in the Federal Register with any new comments, where a renewed 30-day period for additional comments or requests from certain other authorities begins.
Following this, it is up to the Office of Management and Budget to accept or modify the plans before they can be implemented, which itself may take some time (authorising new official application forms, wording of questions, etc).
This means the full rollout will still take several months, the US Embassy said, and a prospective introduction date of ‘mid-2026’ has been given.
Tourism hit expected to follow
The plans continue to face backlash both in the US and abroad.
Chief among concerns is that the additional measures will discourage would-be tourists that are unwilling to provide the required information or find the process too time-consuming, leading to a fall in international tourism to the US
Providing the new information is estimated to take around 30 minutes, however this does not account for finding it which may take several hours.
The regulations “will force people who simply want to visit family in the United States, do business with American companies, or attend events like the upcoming World Cup, to submit to widespread digital surveillance,” said Democratic Senators Ed Markey and Ron Wyden, who called for the measures to be scrapped.
