U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has quietly tightened the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) filing rules: applicants must now upload a fresh, passport-style color photograph taken specifically for the application instead of re-using the passport’s printed image. The change, confirmed by travel counsellors and cruise lines over the weekend, has led CBP to invalidate thousands of previously-approved ESTAs that relied on scanned passport photos. Travelers who discover their approval has been revoked must submit a new application that meets the new photo standard.(travelandtourworld.com)
Although the agency did not issue a formal press release, automated status-change e-mails began hitting inboxes late on 31 January. Airlines and cruise operators reported “dozens of denied boardings” at European and Latin-American gateways on 1 February when passengers’ ESTA numbers showed as cancelled in carriers’ Advance Passenger Information System checks. Business-travel management companies warn that corporate travelers transiting the United States—even for an hour—risk being stranded if their ESTA was auto-revoked.(travelandtourworld.com)
![New ESTA Photo Requirement Triggers Wave of U.S.-Bound Trip Cancellations]()
VisaHQ, a global visa and travel-documentation platform, can help travelers and mobility managers navigate the sudden requirement shift. Its dedicated U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) offers step-by-step guidance on the new photo specifications, an instant document pre-check, and optional concierge filing services—saving time and reducing the risk of another rejection.
For mobility managers, the immediate task is triage: audit all employees and assignees with imminent U.S. travel, verify their ESTA status in the CBP portal, and budget the US $40 fee and 72-hour processing window for any re-filings. Because the new rule demands a selfie-style image with strict lighting, background, and no-filter rules, HR departments are advising travelers to use professional photo booths or mobile-app scanning services rather than recycling passport scans.(travelandtourworld.com)
Longer term, the stricter photo requirement foreshadows broader CBP plans to migrate the entire ESTA process to a mobile-app platform that captures live biometrics and geolocation data. Companies whose globally-mobile staff rely on the Visa Waiver Program should expect more granular data requests—phone numbers, e-mails, IP addresses, even optional exit selfies—once the mobile-only system is rolled out later this year.(henleyglobal.com)
Although the agency did not issue a formal press release, automated status-change e-mails began hitting inboxes late on 31 January. Airlines and cruise operators reported “dozens of denied boardings” at European and Latin-American gateways on 1 February when passengers’ ESTA numbers showed as cancelled in carriers’ Advance Passenger Information System checks. Business-travel management companies warn that corporate travelers transiting the United States—even for an hour—risk being stranded if their ESTA was auto-revoked.(travelandtourworld.com)
VisaHQ, a global visa and travel-documentation platform, can help travelers and mobility managers navigate the sudden requirement shift. Its dedicated U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) offers step-by-step guidance on the new photo specifications, an instant document pre-check, and optional concierge filing services—saving time and reducing the risk of another rejection.
For mobility managers, the immediate task is triage: audit all employees and assignees with imminent U.S. travel, verify their ESTA status in the CBP portal, and budget the US $40 fee and 72-hour processing window for any re-filings. Because the new rule demands a selfie-style image with strict lighting, background, and no-filter rules, HR departments are advising travelers to use professional photo booths or mobile-app scanning services rather than recycling passport scans.(travelandtourworld.com)
Longer term, the stricter photo requirement foreshadows broader CBP plans to migrate the entire ESTA process to a mobile-app platform that captures live biometrics and geolocation data. Companies whose globally-mobile staff rely on the Visa Waiver Program should expect more granular data requests—phone numbers, e-mails, IP addresses, even optional exit selfies—once the mobile-only system is rolled out later this year.(henleyglobal.com)
