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Agency·Rule

DHS Proposes Mandatory Photos for All Non-Citizens at U.S. Borders, Removing Age Exemptions

Collection of Biometric Data From Aliens Upon Entry to and Departure From the United States

5 months ago·View on Federal Register

Key Points

  • The Department of Homeland Security is making it a permanent rule that all non-citizens must have their photo taken when they enter or leave the United States. This applies to travel by plane, ship, or walking across a land border. The goal is to create a more accurate system for tracking who is in the country and ensuring people leave when their visas expire.

    From policy text

    “This final rule amends Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations to provide that DHS may require all aliens to be photographed when entering or exiting the United States, and may require non-exempt aliens to provide other biometrics. The final rule also amends the regulations to remove the references to pilot programs and the port limitation to permit collection of biometrics from aliens departing from airports, land ports, seaports, or any other authorized point of departure.”
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  • This new rule removes previous age limits for photographs. In the past, children under 14 and adults over 79 were often exempt from providing this information. Now, all non-citizens will be photographed regardless of their age. The government says this will help verify identities more accurately and help prevent the trafficking of children.

    From policy text

    “Pursuant to this rule, DHS may collect photographs from all aliens seeking to enter or exit the United States regardless of their age for the purposes of identity verification. This enables DHS to associate the immigration records created for children to their adult records later, which will help combat the trafficking of children, and screen for criminal history or associations with terrorist or other organizations seeking to violate applicable law throughout a person's lifetime.”
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  • U.S. citizens are not required to participate in this facial recognition process. If you are a citizen, you can tell a border officer or airline worker that you want to opt out. In those cases, an official will check your passport manually like they have in the past. If a citizen does choose to participate, the government must delete their photo within 12 hours.

    From policy text

    “A U.S. citizen traveler who does not wish to have a photograph taken may request an alternative inspection process. U.S. citizens may notify the airline or vessel boarding agent or a CBP officer if they would like to opt out of the facial comparison-based process at the time of boarding or during the entry process and request that an alternative method of validation be employed.”
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  • The government believes this technology is faster and more secure than checking fingerprints or paper documents alone. It helps stop people from using fake IDs or someone else's passport. By matching a live photo to the one on a traveler's visa or passport, the system can quickly confirm that the person at the gate is the person they claim to be.

    From policy text

    “Ensuring the travelers' photographs match with their vetted biographic and biometric information also helps CBP prevent document fraud and the use of fraudulent travel documents, or the use of legitimate travel documents by imposters (thereby also assisting in combatting identity theft), and to identify criminals and known or suspected terrorists.”
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  • The policy officially takes effect on December 26, 2025. While this technology is already being used at many major airports, this rule allows the government to expand the program to all border crossings across the country. Officials estimate this will help identify hundreds of thousands of people who stay in the country past their legal limits.

    From policy text

    “This rule is effective on December 26, 2025.”
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ImmigrationNational Security Foreign PolicyTechnology Digital

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

State Impacts

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

long_term

Full biometric system expected at all commercial airports and seaports

CBP plans to have facial comparison technology operating at every commercial airport and seaport for both entry and exit within 3-5 years, meaning virtually all international travelers by air and sea will go through the system.

Source Information

Document Type

Federal Rule

Official Title

Collection of Biometric Data From Aliens Upon Entry to and Departure From the United States

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.