The United States searches travelers' devices at the border, and several European governments now warn their citizens about it. This guide is for people who can use SpaceBox, which excludes EU and EEA residents; it applies to UK and other non-EU visitors, and to U.S. residents returning home. Here is what the warnings say, and how to arrive with nothing sensitive on the device you carry.
Last reviewed: 23 September 2026 · Sources listed at the foot of this page
Several governments now caution their citizens about entering the United States. France, Germany, Denmark, Ireland and Canada have issued digital-security guidance for U.S.-bound travelers, recommending burner phones and cautioning against using personal email or cloud accounts, after reports of device searches and travelers being detained or refused entry. Germany's foreign ministry notes that a valid ESTA or visa does not guarantee entry. [UK FCDO] [on the European warnings]
U.S. Customs and Border Protection can search electronic devices at the border. Under CBP's own policy (Directive 3340-049B, updated January 2026), a basic manual search can be carried out on any traveler with no suspicion, and this authority extends to U.S. citizens returning home. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] [on Directive 3340-049B]
This is a short summary for context. Advisories change; read the official advisory for your nationality before you travel. We are a data-security company, not a travel-safety authority.
A search at entry can reach the messages, photos and documents on the device, and the accounts you can open on it. A basic search needs no suspicion and applies to citizens too, so what matters is what the device holds and what it is signed in to.
Emails, chats, social media and saved files are all in scope, and information found on a device has been used to detain travelers or refuse entry. The safest device to carry is one that has nothing sensitive on it.
Set up a SpaceBox on a device that stays home, then send it the files you would not want inspected. They are encrypted on your phone and sealed to the home device, and your phone keeps no copy.
Take photos and write notes in the app itself, and they are encrypted and sent to your home SpaceBox without ever sitting in the clear on your phone. Anyone you invite can send you files the same way.
Your files were waiting at home the whole time. You open them on your SpaceBox once you are back, with keys that never left that device.
Everything is encrypted with AES-256-GCM, under keys exchanged with post-quantum ML-KEM-768. The app on the phone you carry acts only as a sender: it stores no files and holds no account or personal data. SpaceBox keeps the documents, photos and notes you would otherwise carry off the device; it does not hide your public social media, so review your accounts and avoid posting sensitive content while you travel. For larger archives, SpaceBox Ground adds more room.
General guidance, not legal advice. Check the official advisory for your nationality before you travel. SpaceBox is not available to residents of the EU and EEA during the beta.
| Scenario | Without SpaceBox | With SpaceBox |
|---|---|---|
| Device search at entry | A CBP officer can search your phone or laptop with no suspicion, including for U.S. citizens, and may ask you to unlock it. | Your sensitive files are on your home SpaceBox, not the device, so a search finds nothing sensitive to read. |
| Content and accounts on the device | Emails, messages, social media and files on the device are open to a basic search. | You capture notes and photos in the app and send them to your home SpaceBox encrypted, so they are not stored in the clear on the device. |
| Public and hotel Wi-Fi | Data sent over shared networks can be intercepted, and devices are a common target. | Files are encrypted on your device before they leave it, so an intercepted transfer is unreadable. |
| Receiving files while abroad | New documents land in email or cloud apps on the device you carry. | Anyone you invite sends files straight to your home SpaceBox, so they never touch your travel device. |
| Device lost, seized or held | Whoever holds the device can reach whatever is on it or signed in on it. | The device holds no account and no sensitive files; your data stays on the SpaceBox at home. |
The protection comes from your sensitive data not being on the device you carry. The app on that phone holds no account and no stored files.
A 30-day add-on bought inside the app; it raises your quota for the trip and stacks with a free voucher.
Advisory levels and local laws change. The links above are the primary sources; check them for the current position before you travel.
Set up a SpaceBox at home, move your sensitive files to it before you fly, and cross the border with a device that has nothing on it. Free to start, no card, no email.