The United States will collect biometric data from all non-citizens upon entry and exit.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is introducing a new rule for all foreign nationals, including green card holders. Citing significantly improved facial recognition technology, the US plans to photograph all foreign nationals upon entry and exit, according to Newsweek.

According to a document published in the Federal Register on October 31, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will expand its existing system of collecting photographs and data at land, sea, and air borders. The goal of this change is to combat fraudulent travel documents and enhance national security.

The new rules will apply to all non-US citizens, including immigrants living in the country and green card holders.

While this issue was already discussed in 2021, such changes are part of the Trump administration's efforts to tighten border controls and prevent illegal immigration using new technologies. Some experts have expressed concern in recent months that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking more data, particularly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA).

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What you need to know

New measures, scheduled to take effect on December 26, 2025, will allow U.S. border authorities to photograph foreign citizens at any point during their exit from the country. Other biometric information may also be collected.

While CBP already requires tourists, immigrants with visas and green cards, and some U.S. citizens to provide their photographs and fingerprints, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) uses facial recognition to check travel documents at some airports, requiring such data at every exit would be new.

Additionally, CBP will be authorized to use facial recognition technology for children under 14 and individuals over 79, who are currently exempt from the procedure.

The Trump administration said a fully integrated entry-exit system would allow the Department of Homeland Security to more effectively track immigrants who overstay their visas or otherwise try to circumvent immigration laws.

The Customs and Border Protection Service acknowledged the difficulties in implementing the system due to the lack of specially equipped and secure exit zones at ports, but noted that improvements in facial recognition technology will now address this issue.

CBP will be able to create image galleries associated with specific individuals, including photographs taken by border agents and images from passports or other travel documents. These images will be directly compared with photographs taken upon entry and exit.

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What officials say

The agency stated: "Implementing an integrated biometric entry-exit control system, which matches foreign nationals' biometric data collected upon arrival with data collected upon exit, helps address national security concerns. These concerns arise from the threat of terrorism, the fraudulent use of genuine travel documents, overstaying in the United States or being in the country without admission or parole, and errors or incomplete biographical information on travelers."

CBP estimates the new system could be fully implemented within three to five years. A public comment period is scheduled to begin on October 27.

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