They could change soon rules for obtaining an ESTAil entry permit to the United States for citizens of 60 visa-exempt countries, including Italy. The Department of Homeland Security published yesterday in the Federal Register – the American Official Journal – the request for one new legislation which must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If the text gets the green light, you will need to provide it to get the document much more information that in the past, in harmony with the tight controls that Donald Trump’s administration is imposing on foreigners entering the United States.
Meanwhile the old portal will be replaced by one new applicationbecause the poor quality of the photos uploaded would have made it impossible facial recognition of travellers. Not to mention the many pirate sites who offer the ESTA at exorbitant prices and who would have put into circulation thousands of fake This.
Document verification and high definition
As soon as it is available (it is not yet clear when, and the administration admits that in a transitional phase there may be some disruptions), the new Esta app will be able to verify the validity of passports and to receive high definition photographs. Then all the data, and there is a lot of data, that will be required can be uploaded to it.
The personal and biometric data requested
First of all, in addition to the passport photo, you will also be asked for a recent selfies. Then you will need the list of account sui social media used in the last five years, personal and work telephone numbers used in the last five years, private and work email addresses for the last ten years, family names and personal details as well as telephone numbers used by them in the last five years. Finally, the biometric data (fingerprintsphoto of the iris and DNA).
Impact on tourism in view of USA 2026
The initiative arrives on the eve of 2026 Football World Cupwhich the USA will host with Mexico and which is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the world. The new Esta rules they could be to the detriment of one sector, that touristalready suffering: The US Travel Association predicts that 2025 will end with a decline in foreign arrivals by 6.3% compared to 2024.