Swiss nationals travelling visa-free to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) are encountering an unexpected hurdle this week as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) retroactively invalidates Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approvals that do not contain a real-time “live” selfie.
VisaVerge reports that the cancellations started on 1 February, just days after the Department of Homeland Security introduced a rule obliging every VWP applicant to submit a live facial image via the mobile-app platform and to disclose five years of social-media history. Airlines at Zurich and Geneva say dozens of Swiss passengers have already been denied boarding because their previously valid ESTA was voided overnight.
Swiss travellers unsure about their ESTA status can turn to VisaHQ for prompt, step-by-step assistance. Through its dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/), the service offers real-time checks, guidance on the new selfie-video requirement, and emergency reapplication support—helpful for both leisure visitors and corporate road-warriors rushing to meet U.S. business deadlines.
![U.S. cancels thousands of Swiss ESTAs after ‘live-photo’ rule takes effect]()
To travel, Swiss citizens must now reinstall the ESTA mobile app, capture a short selfie video that matches their e-passport chip and resubmit the application—paying another US $21 fee in the process. CBP insists the change closes a security loophole that allowed poor-quality, static passport photos to evade facial-recognition vetting.
For corporate mobility programmes the timing is awkward: February marks the start of the U.S. conference season and many Swiss executives travel on short notice. Employers should brief staff to verify the status of existing ESTAs at least 72 hours before departure and, where possible, budget half a day to complete the new biometric enrolment. Travellers whose ESTA is cancelled at the gate have no alternative but to reapply and re-book.
The move is part of a broader trend toward tighter digital vetting; Canada and the EU will introduce comparable biometric or pre-travel authorisation upgrades later this year. Swiss privacy lawyers note that the U.S. requirement to hand over social-media handles goes further than anything currently demanded by Switzerland or the Schengen area, raising fresh questions about data reciprocity.
VisaVerge reports that the cancellations started on 1 February, just days after the Department of Homeland Security introduced a rule obliging every VWP applicant to submit a live facial image via the mobile-app platform and to disclose five years of social-media history. Airlines at Zurich and Geneva say dozens of Swiss passengers have already been denied boarding because their previously valid ESTA was voided overnight.
Swiss travellers unsure about their ESTA status can turn to VisaHQ for prompt, step-by-step assistance. Through its dedicated Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/), the service offers real-time checks, guidance on the new selfie-video requirement, and emergency reapplication support—helpful for both leisure visitors and corporate road-warriors rushing to meet U.S. business deadlines.
To travel, Swiss citizens must now reinstall the ESTA mobile app, capture a short selfie video that matches their e-passport chip and resubmit the application—paying another US $21 fee in the process. CBP insists the change closes a security loophole that allowed poor-quality, static passport photos to evade facial-recognition vetting.
For corporate mobility programmes the timing is awkward: February marks the start of the U.S. conference season and many Swiss executives travel on short notice. Employers should brief staff to verify the status of existing ESTAs at least 72 hours before departure and, where possible, budget half a day to complete the new biometric enrolment. Travellers whose ESTA is cancelled at the gate have no alternative but to reapply and re-book.
The move is part of a broader trend toward tighter digital vetting; Canada and the EU will introduce comparable biometric or pre-travel authorisation upgrades later this year. Swiss privacy lawyers note that the U.S. requirement to hand over social-media handles goes further than anything currently demanded by Switzerland or the Schengen area, raising fresh questions about data reciprocity.
