{"id":1091164,"date":"2026-03-05T11:35:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T10:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/esta-for-the-united-states-facial-verification-by-selfie\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T11:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T10:35:21","slug":"esta-for-the-united-states-facial-verification-by-selfie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/esta-for-the-united-states-facial-verification-by-selfie\/","title":{"rendered":"ESTA for the United States: facial verification by selfie"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- ARTICLE BLOG \u2013 VOYAGES D\u2019AFFAIRES (SANS H1) --><\/p>\n<p><strong>ESTA United States selfie<\/strong>: since the beginning of February 2026, <strong>U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP<\/strong> ) has introduced a new <strong>facial verification<\/strong> step in certain ESTA authorization applications, via a <strong>live photo<\/strong> (selfie).<\/p>\n<p>For companies and frequent travelers, this change should be taken into account as soon as the file is prepared, to avoid any last-minute bottlenecks.<\/p>\n<h2>Concrete changes<\/h2>\n<p>The procedure is based on taking a selfie to verify that the applicant is the legitimate holder of the ESTA document. This feature is already integrated into the<strong>official ESTA mobile application<\/strong>: the selfie is compared with the passport photo provided as part of the application. <\/p>\n<p>The US authorities are also aiming to<strong>harmonize<\/strong> requirements between applications made via the application and those made via the ESTA website.<\/p>\n<h2>Beware of ESTAs already obtained<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Swiss Travel Federation (FSV)<\/strong> points out that ESTA authorizations previously issued with a static photo may no longer meet the new requirements. In practice, the recommendation is to avoid any uncertainty prior to travel. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Check your ESTA as soon as your trip is confirmed.<\/li>\n<li>Leave a safety margin in case a new request is necessary.<\/li>\n<li>Centralize the required elements (passport, photo, file information) before launching.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Requests via agency are still possible<\/h2>\n<p>ESTA applications via third-party service providers, including <strong>travel agencies<\/strong>, remain possible despite this change, provided that a <strong>photo of the applicant<\/strong> can be provided or uploaded as part of the procedure.<\/p>\n<p>For business travel, the challenge is above all operational: maintain a smooth process, limit data entry errors and secure pre-departure deadlines.<\/p>\n<h2>Broader tightening envisaged<\/h2>\n<p>The U.S. authorities are also considering tightening entry requirements, with more personal data requested (including a history of social networking activities over several years) as well as biometric information. The<strong>ECTAA<\/strong> (European Association of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators) has expressed concerns to CBP, fearing a dissuasive effect on travel. <\/p>\n<h2>Our advice<\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;re planning to travel to the United States in the near future, it&#8217;s a good idea to anticipate ESTA verification as early as possible. <strong>Delta Voyages<\/strong> can help you secure the process and limit unforeseen events before departure. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In addition to ESTA, a selfie facial verification system is now available: you should plan ahead before traveling to the United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1091161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1091164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regulations-travel-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1091164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1091164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1091161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1091164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1091164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/delta-voyages.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1091164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}