Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, and Canada Urge Travelers to Use Burners Instead of Smartphones When Visiting US for an Easy Trip - Travel And Tour World (2025)

Thursday, April 24, 2025

In a dramatic escalation of digital travel precautions, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, and Canada travel advisors are now urging their citizens to use burner phones instead of smartphones when entering the United States—a response to growing fears over aggressive US border device inspections, privacy violations, and arbitrary detentions. These countries cite increasing reports of travelers being subjected to unauthorized access of personal data by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with emails, messages, and cloud accounts scrutinized without warrants. To avoid digital exposure and ensure an easy, hassle-free trip, officials across Europe and Canada are now advising a simple solution: ditch the smartphone, and travel light—with a burner.

In an unprecedented shift in global travel guidance, twelve European countries—Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Hungary—alongside Canada, have issued urgent advisories recommending that their citizens travel to the United States with burner phones instead of personal smartphones. This new wave of caution reflects mounting fears of digital surveillance, arbitrary detentions, and invasive data inspections at U.S. borders.

These joint advisories mark a diplomatic and strategic departure from standard protocols, signaling to citizens that crossing into the U.S. now carries not just physical, but digital risks. Traditionally reserved for travel to authoritarian regimes, recommendations to use burner phones are now being made by Washington’s closest allies—signaling a profound erosion of trust in American border enforcement practices.

A Broad Coalition Responds to U.S. Surveillance Tactics

The move comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) faces growing scrutiny for inspecting travelers’ personal devices without warrants, including accessing emails, messages, social media accounts, and even cloud-stored content. Reports from across the Atlantic and North America suggest a troubling trend: travelers being detained or denied entry to the U.S. based on digital content found during these inspections.

European countries—Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Hungary—and Canada have reacted strongly. Their advisories reflect a coordinated shift in travel protocols and a firm warning to their citizens: carry burner phones, and protect your data.

This is no longer just advice for journalists or diplomats. It has become a new reality for ordinary travelers, businesspeople, students, and tourists. The goal: an easy, hassle-free trip by minimizing digital exposure at the border.

Canada Sounded the Alarm First

Canada was the first to issue a major advisory in early April 2025. In addition to warning its citizens to avoid carrying personal smartphones, Canada announced a new rule requiring travelers staying longer than 30 days in the U.S. to register with Canadian authorities. The advisory also suggested the use of burner phones as a basic safeguard against digital overreach.

The response was swift. Legal experts and privacy advocates in Canada highlighted multiple incidents in which travelers were detained or subjected to invasive questioning based on personal device content. As cases mounted, Canada’s public response evolved into a formal travel advisory.

Europe Follows Suit—Country by Country

Shortly after Canada’s update, a cascade of European countries followed. Spain was among the first in Europe to align with Canada, citing similar incidents involving Spanish nationals questioned over political memes and social media posts.

Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a parallel advisory, cautioning travelers to avoid logging into personal accounts while on U.S. soil and to consider using disposable devices. Belgium and Poland, too, warned of “unpredictable enforcement” and “device-based detentions,” urging citizens to digitally strip down before travel.

Sweden and Finland echoed those concerns, citing human rights and privacy violations. Finland specifically warned business travelers to avoid carrying sensitive company data and advised the use of encrypted cloud storage.

Luxembourg, Greece, and Portugal emphasized digital hygiene and storage separation, recommending that travelers back up their content to the cloud and wipe all devices clean prior to boarding.

Bulgaria and Hungary finalized the list, urging citizens to avoid travel with devices that contain personal, professional, or political data.

Each of these countries explicitly highlighted the same solution: use burner phones and minimal-function devices to ensure a smooth U.S. border entry process.

EU Quietly Equips Diplomats with Burners

While the European Union has not officially declared a union-wide directive, as per reports EU has begun issuing burner phones and stripped-down laptops to its diplomats and senior officials traveling to the United States.

Previously, this level of precaution was reserved for trips to high-risk states like China, Russia, or Iran. The fact that these same measures are now being used for visits to the U.S.—a NATO ally—reflects the seriousness of Europe’s concern over American digital practices.

Though not formally announced, the EU’s internal communications now advise all officials to avoid traveling with personal smartphones. Instead, they must use pre-approved hardware cleared by EU cybersecurity teams, underscoring a dramatic reevaluation of risk.

Travel Advisors Now Recommend Burners for Europe Too

Interestingly, the shift in travel culture is not just confined to transatlantic travel. According to industry experts, the normalization of burner phones for U.S. visits is now influencing intra-European travel as well. While no formal EU-wide travel ban on smartphones exists, leading travel advisory firms and privacy advocates are beginning to recommend burner phones for easy and hassle-free European trips too—especially for travelers crossing multiple borders or carrying sensitive digital material.

Advisors argue that while the current spotlight is on the U.S., the principles of digital minimalism, cloud backup, and temporary devices are broadly applicable in today’s surveillance-driven world.

As concerns over digital surveillance grow, a broader conversation is unfolding across the European Union, where countries including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia are now actively reviewing border security protocols and digital privacy risks. While none of them have formally updated their U.S. travel advisories, many are engaging in internal discussions and quietly issuing guidance to travelers, with some beginning to adopt measures such as burner phone use and encrypted device protocols—marking a significant shift in how the EU collectively responds to the evolving landscape of international digital security.

Examples Triggering the Advisory Shift

The advisories didn’t arise in a vacuum. Several incidents involving European and Canadian travelers have sparked alarm:

• German teenagers were turned away in Honolulu in March 2025 after failing to show hotel confirmations. Media reports suggested CBP agents accessed messages on their phones to determine their intent to work without a permit.
• A Spanish journalist was held for questioning at a U.S. airport for over six hours. CBP agents allegedly searched emails that contained commentary on U.S. politics. Although he was eventually released, he missed his connection and filed a formal protest with Spain’s foreign ministry.
• A Canadian software engineer traveling to a tech conference had her company laptop seized at Newark International Airport. Despite presenting business documentation, private messages flagged in a group chat led to secondary inspection and a temporary entry ban.

These events have amplified diplomatic concern and bolstered public support for the burner phone recommendations.

Broader Economic Fallout: U.S. Tourism Takes a Hit

As fears mount, the economic consequences are already being felt. Tourism Economics predicts that international travel to the United States will drop by 15.2% in 2025, resulting in an estimated $90 billion in lost tourism revenue.

Canada, long the largest source of U.S. visitors, has seen border crossings plunge—down 12.5% in February and 18% in March, according to CBP data. Travel from Germany is down nearly 30%, while visitors from Spain, Colombia, and Portugal are down 25–33% respectively.

Online platforms like Threads (META) are flooded with stories of canceled trips, detentions, and solidarity movements, particularly among younger travelers from European capitals. The message is clear: many would rather stay away than risk being digitally violated.

What Travelers Should Do Now

If you’re traveling to the U.S. from Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Hungary, or Canada, or you’re simply concerned about privacy, here’s what experts now recommend:

• Use a burner phone with no personal accounts linked
• Back up data to encrypted cloud storage, and wipe all devices before departure
• Log out of social media, email, banking apps, and messaging platforms
• Disable biometrics (fingerprint/face ID) and use strong local passwords
• Limit the number of devices you carry—more devices may increase screening time
• Carry printed documentation for accommodations, return tickets, and finances
• Avoid storing political, activist, or sensitive personal information on devices
• Consider encrypted browsers and messaging apps for secure communication

Citing rising fears of U.S. border agents accessing personal data without consent, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, and Canada now urge travelers to use burner phones instead of smartphones to ensure a safer, hassle-free trip to the United States.

A New Era of Digital Vigilance

The burner phone advisories issued by Spain, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Canada are not just about technology—they’re about diplomacy, privacy, and principle. As governments begin to see the digital treatment of their citizens as a matter of sovereignty, a new global standard is emerging.

What was once considered excessive—using burner phones and avoiding social media logins abroad—is now mainstream advice. The line between convenience and control is growing thinner. Travelers are being forced to choose between carrying their digital lives or protecting their privacy.

As global surveillance intensifies, the humble burner phone may just become the most important travel essential of 2025.