When you travel internationally by air from many countries, there’s some sort of a departure check by immigration authorities, to be be able to track arrivals vs. departures. Historically, this isn’t really something that the United States has done, probably in part because our airports aren’t set up to easily facilitate that.
However, it appears that this is slowly starting to change, and could be rolled out on a more widespread basis soon, as reported by The New York Times, and flagged by View from the Wing.
In this post:
United States expands “biometric exit” for international travelers
The United States is increasingly rolling out a biometric exit program, which involves taking photos of passengers leaving the country, and then using facial recognition technology to ensure that travelers match their identification documents.
On the surface, this is something that has been allowed for some time, but it hasn’t been rolled out consistently. However, on September 15, 2025, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs approved a proposed rule, clearing the way for the program to expand to all airports, seaports, and land crossings, across the country. While this program has been quietly growing for years, this approval formalized its expansion.
For air travelers, the way this works is that Customs and Border Protection officers are stationed at gates for departing international flights. In some situations, there will be cameras on a stick, that take the pictures of departing passengers. In other situations, the officers are positioned in jet bridges during boarding with their smartphones.
For foreign nationals, the photos can remain in a database for 75 years, while for US citizens, the photos are matched to passports and deleted within 12 hours. US citizens can opt out and request to be verified manually by showing their passport, and undergoing a visual face comparison. However, it seems this is being discouraged, with some travelers stating that officers told them they’d have to wait until everyone else boarded, in order to be able to do that.
Here’s the part that’s shocking, at least to me — today, 52% of departing air travelers are “biometrically confirmed,” and since June 2017, 810 million people have undergone this process, and 500,000 foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas have been confirmed using this process. I’m confused — does this really refer to international air travelers, or just biometric verification at TSA checkpoints?
Opponents of this concept point out that these photos could be used for more than just biometric exit, and that facial recognition is prone to false positives, particularly for people of color and women.
My take on expanding exit controls in the United States
Around the globe, departure control with immigration officials is a common practice, so it’s an area where the United States is definitely playing catch up.
As much as some people may have privacy concerns, the reality is that we have zero privacy when traveling by air as is, and I don’t see this as materially infringing on any rights to privacy. Our passport photos are already on file with the government, our IDs are scanned at security checkpoints, airlines use biometric boarding, there are cameras all over the terminal, etc. So while I don’t love the world of over-surveillance we live in, I think that’s just the reality of the times…
If anything, my concern is that this just seems like a really impractical, makeshift solution. The problem is that our airports in the United States aren’t set up with separate parts of the terminal for departing international travelers, so we can’t have some centralized departure check.
I don’t have a huge issue with these cameras at the gate, though at least in terms of optics, it seems kind of creepy and unprofessional for the process to be that immigration officers are taking pictures of passengers with smartphones.
I’m surprised to learn that over half of air travelers are already getting some sort of biometric exit verification, as I wouldn’t have expected that number to be so high.
Bottom line
The United States is expanding its biometric exit program, whereby outbound air travelers are having their biometric data scanned before departing on international flights. While this has already been in use for some time, it sounds like we can expect to see it expanded significantly in the near future.
So if you see immigration officers in the jet bridge taking pictures of passengers with their smartphones, now you know why.
What do you make of the US expanding biometric exit?
Not a fan of the CBP officials being at the gate or doing anything informal (smart phones). Besides being intimidating, we know a lot of DHS employees are of a certain political persuasion known to discriminate early and often. I too mourn the loss of our privacy, but if it's to be done, it should be consistent, automated, and rules-based (ie, automated exit gates like EU airports).
Are they going to make it easier for foreign nationals to obtain tourist and business visas then? One reason that it has been easier for people to obtain such visas for Europe is the exit controls which the US does not have. Some have commented that this has partly been in place for some time but we haven't seen people denied exit for varying reasons as what happens elsewhere.
Wonder how this will work, when I fly to the UK with my UK passport and back to the US on my American one?
Or leave for Toronto using my Canadian Passport?
Any insights @Ben ... I know you have multiple passports too
I would suggest to always use the same passport for both entry and exit from a specific country, thus one for US entry and exit, the other one for UK entry and exit.
This article is misleading. The U.S. has tracked departures for decades using systems such as the Arrival and Departure Information System (ADIS) and Treasury Enforcement Computer System (TECS). Airline carriers provide their flight manifests to CBP. You can submit a FOIA request on yourself if you want to see the data.
To whom would we submit the FOIA request?
https://www.cbp.gov/site-policy-notices/foia/records
The privacy issue here isn’t my photo, it’s my photo being used to expand detailed biometric databases of me that can be used to track me throughout my daily life, and if I advocate for the “wrong” ideas, persecute me. It’s funny how China was demonized for its totalitarian surveillance of its population only for the same people to celebrate the same totalitarianism coming to the US
I don’t know what all you that are upset with them taking your photo are concerned about as once you leave the US, you’re going to have your photo and probably fingerprints taken at your arrival destination. Who knows what that is used for.
Americans make me laugh as you are all so protective about your rights but you give it away even when commenting on this post because the algorithm is tracking your every move.
I’m sorry, Dave, but I can’t do that.
Seems reasonable. People with outstanding warrants should not be able to leave the USA. If they want to play fugitive and run across a border, whatever, but they shouldn't be able to fly/drive/train out with ease. As of now, when you get fingerprinted at jail, the feds get a report, so the infrastructure to communicate crime related data from countries to the feds likely supports this already.
Exit controls are only really scary in places...
Seems reasonable. People with outstanding warrants should not be able to leave the USA. If they want to play fugitive and run across a border, whatever, but they shouldn't be able to fly/drive/train out with ease. As of now, when you get fingerprinted at jail, the feds get a report, so the infrastructure to communicate crime related data from countries to the feds likely supports this already.
Exit controls are only really scary in places like India, which can and do use exit control as a way to prevent people not accused of crimes from leaving, like overstaying a visa. I've read before about how they'll prevent people from leaving, and force them into FRRO hell (read: bribery) to get an "exit visa", with a nice 10 year blacklisting on top.
At MCO and HNL, when boarding flights bound for Canada, AirCanada has been using biometrics gate on a mandatory basis for boarding, and my understanding is that these are used instead of having a CBP officer do the checks... I guess CBP could still run supplementary checks but since these gates have been live, have not seen CBP conducting extra checks.
The delusion on here is astounding. I strongly recommend doing some reading on existing behind-the-scenes exit controls - it's fascinating. The only change happening is that a confirmation of who the data says is departing matches with their biometrics (which the relevant alphabet soup agencies all already have if you have a US passport or have entered the country). I hate big government, but this is a non-issue unless you were planning to use someone...
The delusion on here is astounding. I strongly recommend doing some reading on existing behind-the-scenes exit controls - it's fascinating. The only change happening is that a confirmation of who the data says is departing matches with their biometrics (which the relevant alphabet soup agencies all already have if you have a US passport or have entered the country). I hate big government, but this is a non-issue unless you were planning to use someone else's demographics/passports and hope that you do not get caught.
The delusion is to believe that only one change is happening. Instead what is also happening is an expansion of ports where this is to be done so as to have a more comprehensive fortress/prison biometric monitoring of who is leaving the country and to use that data for ultimately who knows what purposes as mission creep and creepy ways for using the data expand over time.
There is already exit control, with arrivals and departures recorded for everyone. Then it's matched for compliance to flag visa overstays, for 100% of non-citizens. You can look up your US travel history here:
https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/search/history-search
Wow, this is interesting. I'm getting a result that states "No Record Found For Traveler" even though I traveled internationally twice this year and multiple times over the past 4 years. Hm...
Makes me wonder how valid the results for foreigners is...
@Weekend Surfer Are you looking using a US passport perhaps? Those records are only for non-US citizens.
@weekendsurfer It's stated as being for international travelers visiting the United States
Just tried this and it did not list any U.S. arrivals and departures for me. And I've traveled out of and back into the country a number of times this year.
Exit check is longgggg overdue in US. It always surprised me that why wouldn’t US do what every other country in the world already does.
The privacy argument is a BS. In this day and age, there shouldn’t be any expectation of privacy in a public space. Governments already has every information possible on you, so this additional photo isn’t going to make a big difference.
The issue is this implementation. I am sure if...
Exit check is longgggg overdue in US. It always surprised me that why wouldn’t US do what every other country in the world already does.
The privacy argument is a BS. In this day and age, there shouldn’t be any expectation of privacy in a public space. Governments already has every information possible on you, so this additional photo isn’t going to make a big difference.
The issue is this implementation. I am sure if intelligent people were to put their heads together they’d come up with a better solution to ensure there’s 100% coverage for international exit. It’s a no brainer.
As an American citizen, I'm not keen on having a CPB officer hanging out by the jetway to sign off on my freedom to leave the country.
well if you travel abroad, you most likely have done this at almost all other countries, are you not keen on that, or you dont care because its not the US and you're just looking to complain?
Next...
The "we already have no privacy" argument is how surveillance states are built - one step at a time.
The US has never systematically tracked citizens leaving the country. This isn't modernization, it's new. Foreign nationals' photos are kept for 75 years. That's not verification, that's permanent tracking infrastructure.
The visa overstay justification is weak - airlines already provide manifests and the government has entry records. You can match those without facial recognition.
The real...
The "we already have no privacy" argument is how surveillance states are built - one step at a time.
The US has never systematically tracked citizens leaving the country. This isn't modernization, it's new. Foreign nationals' photos are kept for 75 years. That's not verification, that's permanent tracking infrastructure.
The visa overstay justification is weak - airlines already provide manifests and the government has entry records. You can match those without facial recognition.
The real concern is mission creep. Every "limited purpose" surveillance tool expands - PATRIOT Act, Stingrays, you name it. And the opt-out isn't real if CBP makes you board last.
Facial recognition has documented accuracy problems for people of color and women. When it's wrong at borders, there are real consequences.
We don't have to accept this just because we've already lost ground. Each expansion deserves pushback, not a shrug.
Well said. The country and world is full of sheeple who for personal convenience, money and/or hatred/fear of “the other” allow or even encourage the slide down the slippery slope into a mass surveillance state whereby freedom and liberty become a carcass as erosions of privacy ultimately kill power of freedom and liberty.
Good. Too many overstayers are coming and going as they please. The biggest group is refugees going on many month vacations to the home that isn’t safe enough for them. Europe has huge issues with this problem.
Did you smoke some drugs before writing this comment? It's all invented and nonesense. First of all "overstayers" are not coming and going as they please. And Europe doesn't have "huge issues" with them. All right-wing snowflake paranoia. You just seem to have problems with foreigners.
Did YOU smoke some drugs before replying to OP? First of all "overstayers" are INDEED coming and going as they please. Europe DOES have "huge issues" with them, and these Illeagal overstayer are destroying Western Europe, Canada, and Australia. We need to learn from countries like Poland to restrict border.
You should probably also thank Trump as well, since US is finally doing the right thing with our borders.
If they have overstayed their visa, but are somehow "coming and going" then how are they getting back into your country? (I'm assuming you mean, "coming and going, then coming again, then maybe going again, and then coming again" - because if they're just "coming and going" then that's a normal visitor).
As a person who lives in a Western European country I can robustly state that we do NOT have a huge issue with...
If they have overstayed their visa, but are somehow "coming and going" then how are they getting back into your country? (I'm assuming you mean, "coming and going, then coming again, then maybe going again, and then coming again" - because if they're just "coming and going" then that's a normal visitor).
As a person who lives in a Western European country I can robustly state that we do NOT have a huge issue with illegal overstayers. There are inevitably some overstayers, but it is not in anyway a significant issue. Whoever is providing you this information is wrong. If they are mistaken then you should correct them, if they are deliberately providing this incorrect information then they are liars and you should question their motives for doing so.
I confirm that for Europe, since many countries even legally allow asylum seekers/granted to travel back to the place they fled from for holidays. Funny thing is that when then need to deport them, suddenly the same country is not safe anymore. Nearly
as fun as learning that at least in Germany, if on the day of deportation the refugee is in another bedroom of his abode, then the deportation is illegal: as in,...
I confirm that for Europe, since many countries even legally allow asylum seekers/granted to travel back to the place they fled from for holidays. Funny thing is that when then need to deport them, suddenly the same country is not safe anymore. Nearly
as fun as learning that at least in Germany, if on the day of deportation the refugee is in another bedroom of his abode, then the deportation is illegal: as in, if he/she is in an adiacent room with another refugee, the deportation has to be cancelled.
Only snowflake here is you because Hank had the audacity to call out the way lefties are allowing low iq third worlders to screw the system both in the US and Europe. But you are right we do have problem with foreigners, they collectly ruin society.
You live in the fictional world built up by white supremacists who usher in the very forces of fascism that undermine liberal representative democracies in democratic republics and constitutional monarchies in high- and mid-income countries where ethnic Europeans are the dominant plurality/majority.
As Ben points out, we have no privacy. Your face is scanned, captured or video'd dozens of times every day. So lean in.
GE has become awesome. Scan your face and go. Through in seconds. Lean in and get security up to that speed.
The US has had exit controls for non-citizens for many decades. They used to be done on a piece of paper - people were given one on entry and had to give it back on exit. This persisted until only about 10 years ago, long after it entered the category of quaint. It was expensive to administer, open to fraud and, of course, people would lose the piece of paper.
It's perfectly reasonable for a...
The US has had exit controls for non-citizens for many decades. They used to be done on a piece of paper - people were given one on entry and had to give it back on exit. This persisted until only about 10 years ago, long after it entered the category of quaint. It was expensive to administer, open to fraud and, of course, people would lose the piece of paper.
It's perfectly reasonable for a country to record exit activity. First off, it is a good way of finding out who has overstayed their welcome. Secondly, states can collect the information to determine residency, so what's different from the federal government.
The US also has electronic exit controls for US citizens departing on common carrier flights and we have had that for decades now to some extent.
Was this really “secretly?” I don’t trust the administration with my dogs’ poop bag, but as I understand this it’s tied to a series of post-9/11 security enhancements. Since a number of airlines have already been doing this at select airports it seems like a non-issue to me.
Thats because you suffer from TDS.
Presumably countries use exit customs to catch people overstaying a visa which could make them inadmissible for future entry. Airports in the US have never been set up for exit customs and today would not have the room for such. So now the technology can replace actual facilities. I get the privacy concerns. I certainly have little faith in the US bureaucracy.
I agree with the thrust of this comment but it's important to use clear terminology when it comes to this sort of thing. Exit customs aren't the same as passport control on departure.
Why do we need exit controls at all? Exit controls at places like CDG and even MUC can add so much time to your travel day, waiting in queues.
I don't understand the benefit of them? Once you leave, you become another country's problem.
Benefit? Let me give you an example:
A few years ago, a Chinese student was charged with vehicular homicide in Washington state after a deadly drunk driving crash, but she fled the country to China after being released on $2 million bond. If we have a better exit control, she could probably be stopped.
The Trump regime earlier this year allowed an Israeli government “cybersecurity” official to leave Nevada and the US after his arrest for being a child sex predator in Nevada. US DHS knew all about him as the feds were involved in the investigation and more and knew in advance that he would be flying out of the country and they let him go.
I think this is a positive development because it should eventually lead to the realisation that everyone is better off with segregated international departures areas which also allow for connecting via the USA without the need to enter the country.
Who claimed this non-sense "facial recognition is prone to false positives, particularly for people of color and women"?
The same people who believe that every black person and every woman who has ever been hired was unqualified for the position but met a DEI quota.
Women and/or people of color have alleged that facial recognition software is racist/misogynist due to the erroneous assumption it was coded by white incel chuds.
In reality, it was coded by Indians and it's just incompetence the algo can't tell the difference between one or another
What’s secret about this? The government has been public about what the program is all about, and it is authorized and directed by statute. You can debate the efficacy of the system or whether it should exist, but it’s neither unique to the US nor secret.
While you are absolutely correct, "secret" gives the headline a sexy flair and something for the whack-jobs to get heated about.
"Opponents of this concept point out that these photos could be used for more than just biometric exit, and that facial recognition is prone to false positives, particularly for people of color and women."
Please explain.
The issue is why now? What determines an agent to let you leave? The airlines are giving CBP the data so knowing who is on has never been an issue. It’s just a different way to do exit controls. But having barriers preventing the exit gives power away from the citizens. If it hasnt been needed in 20 years why now?
You must have missed the part of ensuring the actual person matches the travel documents and ticket. Sure the airlines have provided the government data. But, what if the person traveling is not the person "in the data?" Separately, the government has the right to screen for wanted persons (or those on bail) who are attempting to flee the country. You have an inaccurate understanding of an individual's "power" and rights.
We already do this going through TSA they scan all boardings against their ID and match with people so this is done at filter level, so having a duplicitous process for the sake of government?
The government already keeps track of entry and exit via I94 digital record for visa holders and that is based on boarding data. They have also biometrics based on visa collections. And if they are leaving and overstayed they get denied if they try to come again.
@Lee is right. I suspect CBP has decided that it if they want high-quality scrutiny of biometrics, to better track who has left the country, they have to do it themselves. Can't rely on the Delta check-in agent to carefully examine the photo. (chose Delta purely at random, honest)
I think they are mostly trying to build a record of visa violations. They don't intend to stop people from leaving. But if you are on a 90 day tourist visa and you leave after 95 days, don't be surprised if the next time you try to come to the US your info is flagged and you are denied a visa. And since they have a photo of you boarding, it is easier to prove that you overstayed. Versus in the past you could argue there was some paperwork error.
I am not surprised at the number of matched travelers. For US citizens and permanent residents (green card holders), CBP already has a photo of the traveler on file, as they are pulling it from the respective passports and/or PR card. This is the same technology that is enabling PreCheck Touchless lanes.
For non-US citizen travelers, a picture is taken by CBP during entry processing, which is cross-referenced to the passport presented.
The only...
I am not surprised at the number of matched travelers. For US citizens and permanent residents (green card holders), CBP already has a photo of the traveler on file, as they are pulling it from the respective passports and/or PR card. This is the same technology that is enabling PreCheck Touchless lanes.
For non-US citizen travelers, a picture is taken by CBP during entry processing, which is cross-referenced to the passport presented.
The only folks where matching may not be possible are 1) If they had dramatic weight loss or plastic surgery; or 2) more often, their long hair is covering their ears.
@ptahcha in your first paragraph you omitted NEXUS and Global Entry Trusted Travelers, which are handled similarly, for the same reason (photo on file). Your second implies that all non-US citizens are inspected by CBP personnel upon entry, but many exceptions exist: Green Card holders with Global Entry, Canadian citizens with NEXUS/Global Entry and others with NEXUS/Global Entry. Of course I'm not rebutting your main point, with which I agree. In fact, the whole point...
@ptahcha in your first paragraph you omitted NEXUS and Global Entry Trusted Travelers, which are handled similarly, for the same reason (photo on file). Your second implies that all non-US citizens are inspected by CBP personnel upon entry, but many exceptions exist: Green Card holders with Global Entry, Canadian citizens with NEXUS/Global Entry and others with NEXUS/Global Entry. Of course I'm not rebutting your main point, with which I agree. In fact, the whole point of Trusted Traveller programs is to perform this matching without labour. And the programs sell well.
If a person is in public, the Plain Sight Doctrine applies and the person has no reasonable expectation of privacy. Separately, there is a reasonable basis for such a practice: flight security.
Ah, the great catch-all excuse when there is no good justification for an action: security.
Do the gates that have biometric boarding (where you just present your face in front of the camera to be allowed to board) also count towards the exit checkpoint data?
This is what I thought they were using for departure control, at least it’s the impression I got reading the VFTW article.
I’m sure it is which would explain the 50% datapoint - these gates are everywhere nowadays I can’t remember the last time I boarded a US departing international flight and needed my passport out
Yes. CBP is the source of the photo data.