The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced a sweeping new regulation that will require the agency to photograph and capture biometric data from every non-citizen entering or leaving the country — including permanent residents with green cards. The rule, published in the Federal Register, marks a major advance in the administration’s efforts to tighten border security and track visa overstays.
Under the new policy, in effect from December 26, 2025, CBP will expand its biometric entry-exit system to collect facial recognition images and other biometric identifiers from non-citizens during both arrival and departure across airports, land crossings and sea ports. The agency states that the integrated system — matching biometric data from arrival and departure — will help address national-security concerns, fraudulent travel documents, individuals present in the U.S. without admission or parole, and those who overstay authorised periods of stay.
Although similar proposals date back to 2021, the scheme has now been pushed forward as a critical component of a broader border-control initiative under the Donald Trump administration. CBP acknowledges the logistical challenge of implementing a designated, secure exit lane infrastructure, especially at land and sea ports, but points to advances in facial-recognition technology that now make the system feasible. Notably, the new rule also lifts previously granted exemptions for certain groups: people over 79 years old and children under 14 can now also be subject to facial-recognition scans.
For many permanent residents and visa-holders, the implication is clear: the exit process will no longer passively rely on manifest data or electronic records alone. Departures will be monitored with the same level of biometric capture that arrivals now typically receive. According to CBP, building galleries of images linked to individuals — drawn from passports, travel documents and border guards’ photographs — and then comparing them in real time at exit points will help the agency monitor those seeking to circumvent immigration laws.
The rule has provoked fresh debate about the balance between national security and privacy rights. Civil-liberties advocates have raised concerns about the scope of biometric collection, the retention of data and whether safeguards will be adequate. From CBP’s perspective, however, the system represents a maturation of technology and regulatory capacity: in its filing, the agency argues that the enhanced entry-exit framework will make a “fully coordinated” system possible in “three to five years”.
For Indians and other foreign nationals who travel frequently to the U.S., the new regime will mean that leaving the country will require completion of biometric procedures similar to arrival. Even those with green cards should not assume departure will be routine. One immediate suggestion for travellers: ensure that all immigration documents are up to date, and allow extra time for departure processing at major U.S. ports, as the new system rolls out. It may also be prudent for visa-holders and green-card residents working between the U.S. and other countries to monitor implementation announcements from CBP and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for any procedural changes at their ports of travel.
In practical terms, the change signals a shift in U.S. border-management policy: where entry-only biometric capture was once the norm, the forthcoming exit-capture expansion closes a loop in travel accountability. As CBP puts it, the system is designed “to address the national security concerns arising from the threat of terrorism, the fraudulent use of legitimate travel documentation … or aliens who remain in the United States beyond their period of authorised stay (overstays) or are present in the United States without being admitted or paroled.”
In sum, the regulation underscores the heightened priority placed on immigration compliance checks and biometric tracking. For non-citizens — whether green-card holders, visa-holders or undocumented — the message is direct: expect greater scrutiny at both ends of your journey. The DHS will host a public-comment session starting October 27, signalling that the rule may still undergo some refinement before full national rollout.
