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Can a border patrol officer look through your phone and other devices?<\/p>\n
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers can go through your phone, including any deleted items on the device.<\/p>\n
Nearly 1 million people enter the U.S. each day, according to U.S. Customs and Border Control<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Very few travelers are turned away, but it can happen. Reports of cellphone searches<\/a> at airports and tourists and visa holders being detained, deported<\/a> or denied entry<\/a> earlier this year sparked wider concerns.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what travelers should know about entering the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n What is required to enter the United States?\u00a0<\/p>\n That depends on your legal status.\u00a0<\/p>\n All U.S. citizens must present a U.S. passport before boarding international flights leaving from or heading to the U.S., according to a Customs and Border Protection FAQ.<\/a> That includes babies and children. CBP says a NEXUS Card<\/a> is also acceptable for U.S. citizens departing from designated Canadian airports.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n U.S. citizens arriving by land or sea are required to provide Western Hemisphere Travel initiative-approved identification<\/a>, such as:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Other types of documentation are accepted for U.S. military and accompanying immediate family members traveling on military orders and U.S. Merchant Mariners.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Even where alternate identification is allowed, it doesn\u2019t hurt to also carry a valid passport. U.S. citizens applying for new passports are now required to list their sex assigned at birth<\/a>, not their self-identified gender.<\/p>\n Lawful permanent residents need to show a valid permanent resident card (green card)<\/a> or reentry permit<\/a> to reenter the U.S. Those who aren’t able to return to the U.S within the year allowed by the green card or two years allowed by the reentry permit may apply for a Returning Resident (SB-1) immigrant visa, according to CBP.<\/p>\n Other visa holders and foreign nationals have different requirements<\/a> depending on their visa status and country.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do I need a travel visa for the US?\u00a0<\/p>\n U.S. citizens and permanent residents traveling within their valid travel periods do not need a visa to reenter the U.S. after traveling abroad. Citizens of Canada and Bermuda<\/a> generally don\u2019t need a visa either, according to the State Department.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Additionally, more than 40 countries<\/a> are part of the Visa Waiver Program<\/a>, including France, Japan and Australia, as well as Taiwan, which the U.S. doesn\u2019t formally recognize as a country<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cMost citizens or nationals\u201d of these places may visit the U.S. for up to 90 days of visa-free work or travel, as long as they have Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval, according to the State Department. However, a visa will be required for travelers who have been to Cuba since Jan. 12, 2021, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since March 1, 2011, with limited exceptions.<\/p>\n Can a US citizen be denied entry at the border?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n