The ESTA form currently asks for one piece of family data: your parents’ names. In December 2025 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) proposed collecting much more—details of your parents, spouse, siblings and children—but that proposal is not in force. This guide explains exactly what the live ESTA form asks about your family today, what the December 2025 Federal Register notice would add if it is approved, and how CBP stores and shares ESTA data under its published privacy rules.
The U.S. Embassy in France has confirmed that the proposed changes are not in effect, that any new requirements will be formally announced in the Federal Register before implementation, and that travellers should continue to follow the existing ESTA procedures. Below, we help you prepare the right data for the form as it stands.
What Exactly Is ESTA Family Data That CBP Now Requires?
On the current form, ESTA family data means your parents’ names. The DHS system of records notice for ESTA lists “Parents’ names” among the data collected, alongside an emergency point of contact and a U.S. point of contact. The table below separates what is asked today from what CBP has only proposed:
| Family Member Category | Current ESTA form | December 2025 proposal (not in force) |
|---|---|---|
| Parents (both) | Full names | Names, dates and places of birth, residences, phone numbers used in the last 5 years |
| Siblings | Not asked | Names, dates and places of birth, residences, phone numbers used in the last 5 years |
| Spouse/Partner | Not asked | Names, dates and places of birth, residences, phone numbers used in the last 5 years |
| Children | Not asked | Names, dates and places of birth, residences, phone numbers used in the last 5 years |
| Grandparents | Not asked | Not included in the proposal |
| Your own phone numbers | Current number | Numbers used in the last 5 years |
The proposal would be a significant expansion, which is why it attracted public comment before the consultation closed on 9 February 2026. Until CBP announces a change in the Federal Register, the left-hand column is what applies.
Parent Information Requirements in ESTA Family Data
Your parents’ names are the only family details the current ESTA form asks for. Here is what you’ll need to provide:
- Mother’s name
- Father’s name
If you don’t know a parent’s name—for example because of adoption or lack of contact—the form allows you to indicate that the information is unknown. Write names as accurately as you can; a spelling mistake here is unlikely to be a problem on its own, but consistency across your answers matters.
Under the December 2025 proposal, CBP would also collect your parents’ dates and places of birth, residences and the phone numbers they have used in the last five years. This is not part of the live form.
Sibling Information for Complete ESTA Family Data
The current ESTA form does not ask about brothers or sisters. Sibling names, dates and places of birth, residences and phone numbers appear only in the list of “high value data fields” that CBP proposed in its December 2025 notice, to be added “when feasible”.
If the proposal is approved and implemented, CBP will announce it in the Federal Register first. Until then, you do not need to supply any sibling information.
Spouse and Partner Information in ESTA Family Data
The current ESTA form does not ask for details of your spouse or partner. Spouse data is part of the same December 2025 proposal, which would add:
- Spouse’s name
- Date and place of birth
- Residence
- Phone numbers used in the last five years
If you are travelling together, each of you needs your own ESTA, and each application covers only the person named on it.
Children Information and ESTA Family Data Requirements
The current ESTA form does not ask you to list your children. If your children are travelling with you, each child needs their own ESTA application, including infants, with their own passport details.
Under the December 2025 proposal, applicants would also list their children with:
- Names
- Dates and places of birth
- Residences
- Phone numbers used in the last five years
For practical guidance on applying for children today, see our guide to ESTA for families.
Extended Family and Grandparent ESTA Family Data
Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are not asked about on the current ESTA form, and they are not included in the December 2025 proposal either. The proposal lists family members as “parents, spouse, siblings, children”.
Why CBP Proposed Collecting More ESTA Family Data
CBP’s notice presents the extra fields, together with mandatory social media identifiers and app-only submission, as measures to strengthen vetting of Visa Waiver Program travellers. The notice was published for a 60-day public comment period, which ended on 9 February 2026.
In general terms, the information on an ESTA application is used to decide whether a traveller is eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver Program and whether they pose a law enforcement or security risk. Any change to what the form asks will be published in the Federal Register before it takes effect.
Privacy Concerns Regarding ESTA Family Data Collection
The proposal drew public comments during the consultation, including concerns about collecting data on relatives who are not travelling. Travellers who are thinking about privacy may want to keep these points in mind:
- The proposal would cover information about non-travelling family members
- ESTA data can be shared with other agencies under published routine uses
- Data is held under the retention schedule described below
- Questions about how DHS handles personal data can be sent to the DHS Privacy Office
The rules on storage and sharing are set out in the ESTA system of records notice published by DHS.
Data Storage and Security of ESTA Family Data
According to the ESTA system of records notice, an application generally becomes inactive two years after approval, information is retained for one year after the travel authorisation expires and is then archived for 12 years (generally 3 years active and 12 years archived in total). Records linked to law enforcement activity remain accessible for the life of that activity.
The same notice sets out “routine uses” under which ESTA data may be shared, including with:
- Federal, state, local, tribal, international or foreign law enforcement agencies
- Government agencies for public health purposes
- Agencies involved in intelligence and counter-terrorism
- The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for sanctions purposes
As with any system holding personal data, the published rules define how information may be used and shared.
What If You Don’t Know or Can’t Provide Certain ESTA Family Data?
Because the current form asks only for your parents’ names, gaps are uncommon. If you genuinely don’t know a parent’s name, use the “unknown” option rather than guessing. Other tips:
- Use the names you know, as they would appear on official documents
- Indicate “unknown” only where you truly lack the information
- Keep your answers consistent with any previous ESTA applications
Be careful here: deliberately giving false information on an ESTA application can lead to refusal. Give the most complete, accurate answers your genuine knowledge allows.
Preparing and Organizing Your ESTA Family Data Before Application
Before you start the application, have the following to hand:
- Your passport
- Your parents’ names
- Your current phone number and email address
- An emergency point of contact
- Your current and previous employer details, if applicable
- Your U.S. address or point of contact, if you have one
Having these ready makes the application quick to complete.
Frequently Asked Questions About ESTA Family Data
What is ESTA family data exactly?
On the current ESTA form, family data means your parents’ names. Wider family details (spouse, siblings, children) are part of a December 2025 CBP proposal that is not in force.
Do I have to provide ESTA family data about deceased family members?
The current form asks for your parents’ names regardless of whether they are living. It does not ask about other relatives.
What if my family situation is complex?
If you don’t know a parent’s name, for example because of adoption, the form allows you to mark it as unknown.
Is my ESTA family data shared with other governments?
The ESTA system of records notice allows sharing with U.S. agencies and, for specified purposes such as law enforcement, public health and counter-terrorism, with international or foreign government agencies.
How long does CBP retain my ESTA family data?
Generally 3 years active and 12 years archived; records linked to law enforcement activity can be kept for the life of that activity.
Can I update my ESTA family data after approval?
Some details can be updated in an approved ESTA, but changes such as a new name or passport require a new application.
What if I refuse to provide ESTA family data?
Parents’ names are part of the current application. The wider family data in the December 2025 proposal is not required unless CBP announces its implementation in the Federal Register.
Is ESTA family data required for child applicants?
Yes, every applicant, including a child, enters their own parents’ names on their own ESTA application.
Summary: Navigating ESTA Family Data Requirements
Today the ESTA form asks for your parents’ names, not detailed information about your wider family. CBP’s December 2025 proposal would expand this to parents, spouse, siblings and children, but it is not in force and would be announced in the Federal Register before taking effect. Prepare your parents’ names and the standard contact details, and you are ready to apply.
For detailed ESTA application instructions and additional requirements, explore our guides on ESTA application, ESTA requirements, and ESTA for families. For the official word on the requirements and how your data is handled, check travel.state.gov and cbp.gov. Have a privacy concern? Reach the DHS Privacy Office directly.
Related ESTA and USA Travel Guides
For more on ESTA, the Visa Waiver Program, and practical US travel tips, browse these related guides from our library. Each one adds country-specific details, step-by-step walkthroughs, and cost breakdowns that pick up where this article leaves off.
- Czech citizens ESTA
- Norwegian ESTA guide
- Slovak ESTA guide
- Danish ESTA guide
- Portuguese ESTA requirements
- what to do if your ESTA is denied
- Dutch ESTA guide
- Lithuanian ESTA requirements
Last updated: October 2026. Information verified against official CBP travel, U.S. State Department, and DHS sources.