Significant changes are now in effect for anyone travelling to the United States who is not an American citizen. As of Friday, December 28, 2025, new regulations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) mandate that all non-U.S. citizens should expect to be photographed both when entering and when leaving the country.
Expansion of Biometric Data Collection
The new rule authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect facial biometrics from all non-citizens. Compliance is mandatory for travellers. This marks a major expansion of a program that began in 2004, when CBP started collecting biometric data from some non-citizens upon arrival.
The regulation removes previous exemptions, which notably included diplomats and most visitors from Canada. This means Canadian tourists, business travellers, and others are now fully subject to the facial recognition process.
How the System Works and Its Purpose
The initiative utilizes facial recognition technology to match live images of travellers against government records at all air, land, and sea ports of entry and exit. The DHS states the system is necessary to address national security concerns.
According to the department, the technology will help CBP achieve several key objectives:
- Identify criminals and known or suspected terrorists.
- Prevent visa fraud and the use of fraudulent documents.
- Detect individuals who overstay their legal admission period.
- Prevent the illegal re-entry of people who have been previously removed from the country.
U.S. citizens are explicitly exempt from this biometric collection rule.
Implementation Timeline and Privacy Concerns
The rollout of the expanded system will be gradual and is expected to take between three to five years to complete fully. It will eventually cover all modes of travel, including airports, land border crossings, seaports, and even private aircraft and pedestrian exits.
A point of contention for privacy advocates is the duration for which the DHS will retain the biometric data. The agency can keep this information for up to 75 years. Some critics worry this extensive database could potentially be misused to track journalists, political opponents, or other individuals.
In response to such concerns, the DHS has stated that "the biometric entry-exit system is not a surveillance program."
What This Means for Canadian Travellers
For the majority of Canadians making short trips, the primary change will be the mandatory photograph upon both entry and exit. However, it's important to note that Canadians planning longer stays already face additional requirements.
Canadians staying in the U.S. for more than 30 days, such as snowbirds, must already comply with separate fingerprinting and registration protocols under existing U.S. visitor rules.
As this new border regime is implemented over the coming years, travellers should be prepared for increased use of facial recognition technology and ensure they understand their rights and obligations when crossing the U.S. border.
