The United States has unveiled a proposal that would require citizens of all Visa Waiver Program countries—including Australia—to list every social-media handle they have used in the past five years when completing an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application. Published in the Federal Register on 15 December, the rule could come into force as early as 8 February 2026 after a 60-day comment period.
In addition to social-media identifiers, applicants would have to provide all e-mail addresses used over the previous decade plus expanded family-background data. Washington argues the measure is needed for “maximum vetting”, but the U.S. Travel Association warns it will deter visitors and undercut the tourism rebound expected from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
For organisations and individual travellers trying to stay ahead of these changes, VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers step-by-step guidance on ESTA rules, customised document checklists and a dashboard that tracks each submission in real time—helping to minimise errors and keep urgent trips on schedule.
![U.S. Move to Demand Social-Media Handles from ESTA Travellers Raises Alarm for Australian Business Sector]()
For Australian corporates the stakes are high: the United States remains the top long-haul business-travel destination, and compliance teams now face an extra layer of due-diligence before staff can embark. Companies with tight travel-turnaround cycles worry that gathering historical social-media data could delay urgent trips, while privacy officers note that employees may resist making profiles public—a separate requirement just introduced for H-1B visa applicants.
Travel-management firms are advising clients to audit staff social-media footprints, update data-consent clauses in travel policies and build additional lead-time into U.S. trip approvals. Failure to complete the new fields accurately will result in ESTA rejection and could trigger secondary screening on arrival, adding further uncertainty.
Australian privacy advocates have labelled the policy disproportionate and urged Canberra to raise the issue diplomatically, arguing that the data capture far exceeds information collected for Australian eVisas. Whether the rule survives the comment period unchanged remains to be seen, but mobility managers are already preparing contingency plans.
In addition to social-media identifiers, applicants would have to provide all e-mail addresses used over the previous decade plus expanded family-background data. Washington argues the measure is needed for “maximum vetting”, but the U.S. Travel Association warns it will deter visitors and undercut the tourism rebound expected from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
For organisations and individual travellers trying to stay ahead of these changes, VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers step-by-step guidance on ESTA rules, customised document checklists and a dashboard that tracks each submission in real time—helping to minimise errors and keep urgent trips on schedule.
For Australian corporates the stakes are high: the United States remains the top long-haul business-travel destination, and compliance teams now face an extra layer of due-diligence before staff can embark. Companies with tight travel-turnaround cycles worry that gathering historical social-media data could delay urgent trips, while privacy officers note that employees may resist making profiles public—a separate requirement just introduced for H-1B visa applicants.
Travel-management firms are advising clients to audit staff social-media footprints, update data-consent clauses in travel policies and build additional lead-time into U.S. trip approvals. Failure to complete the new fields accurately will result in ESTA rejection and could trigger secondary screening on arrival, adding further uncertainty.
Australian privacy advocates have labelled the policy disproportionate and urged Canberra to raise the issue diplomatically, arguing that the data capture far exceeds information collected for Australian eVisas. Whether the rule survives the comment period unchanged remains to be seen, but mobility managers are already preparing contingency plans.
