Canadians travelling to the US will soon be photographed every time they cross the border
A major change is coming to the Canada-U.S. border that will affect millions of Canadian travellers.
As soon as next month, all Canadians entering — and leaving — the United States could be photographed at the border as part of a major new security initiative.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just finalized a rule that eliminates previous exemptions for biometric collection.
The new U.S. travel rule, which takes effect on December 26, states that all non-U.S. citizens — including Canadian travellers, children under 14, and adults over 79 — may be required to have their photo taken by U.S. customs officials anytime they cross the border.
The rule also grants DHS authority to collect additional biometrics beyond photographs, including fingerprints, iris scans, voice prints and even DNA.
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The timing means the new initiative will kick in right after Christmas, potentially affecting millions of Canadians travelling during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
How the U.S. uses biometrics at the border
The biometric system uses facial recognition technology to confirm that travellers are who they claim to be and are the rightful owners of their travel documents.
DHS says the program is designed to improve identity verification, combat visa overstays and reduce passport fraud at all U.S. entry and exit points — including airports, seaports and land borders.
Currently, customs officials already photograph most non-U.S. citizens when they enter the United States, but children under 14 and adults over 79 were exempt — and there's been no comprehensive system to track when people leave.
Under the new rules, travellers of all ages could be required to have their photo taken in both directions — when entering the U.S. and also when exiting. DHS says this allows border officials to verify that people actually departed when they were supposed to, rather than staying in the country illegally.
According to DHS, the rule is part of a broader Congressional mandate to create a comprehensive biometric entry-exit system. Since 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) reports detecting over 2,000 imposters attempting to enter the United States using genuine travel documents belonging to someone else.
"The best tool to combat passport fraud is to utilize the digital photos contained in e-passports to biometrically verify that a person who presents a travel document is the true bearer of that document," the new regulations state.
The system works by comparing live photographs of travellers with government records, including photos from previous border crossings, passport applications and visa databases.
Your photos will be stored for decades
According to the rule, photos and biometric records of non-immigrant visitors are kept for 75 years. The agency says this lengthy retention period is "necessary to support the holding of biometrics of subjects of interest in immigration and border management or law enforcement activities."
Photos are stored in CBP's Traveler Verification Service (TVS), which creates "galleries" of facial images. These galleries can include photos from previous border crossings, passport applications, visa applications and "other U.S. government encounters."
When you arrive at or depart from a U.S. port of entry, the system compares your live photo against this stored gallery to verify your identity.
Several commenters raised concerns during the public consultation period about data security and the risk of breaches. DHS acknowledged these concerns but stated it cannot delete biometric information while keeping only entry-exit records — federal law requires the agency to maintain the full biometric database.
The agency says it uses encryption and strict access controls to protect the data, and that only authorized personnel can access the stored photographs.
For U.S. citizens who voluntarily participate in the photo process, CBP says it deletes their images within 12 hours of confirming citizenship. But for all non-citizens, including Canadians, the photos become part of a long-term government database.
What this means for your next U.S. travel
If you're a U.S. citizen, you can still opt out of being photographed — but you'll need to request an alternative screening process from a CBP officer or gate agent.
For non-citizens, including Canadians, refusing to comply with the photo requirement could result in being found inadmissible or in violation of your immigration status.
The December 26 effective date means CBP will have the legal authority to photograph all travellers in both directions, without age-based exemptions, before the end of the year. However, full implementation across all border crossings will take time.
According to the rule, CBP estimates it will take three to five years to fully implement the biometric entry-exit system at all commercial airports and seaports. The agency is still working to determine the best approach for land border crossings, particularly for travellers entering or exiting in vehicles.
For Canadians planning U.S. travel over the holidays, the message is clear: be prepared to have your photo taken at the border if requested. While the change may not be implemented at every crossing right away, refusing to comply could result in being denied entry or found in violation of U.S. law — so it's best to expect the process to become standard practice for all future trips.
Will this new rule affect your U.S. travel plans?
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