New Requirements for International Travel to the United States
Effective November 8, 2021, all foreign nationals traveling to the United States by air will be required to show proof of full vaccination prior to boarding the airplane. Very limited exceptions will apply. Any vaccine that is FDA approved or authorized, as well as vaccines with an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization, will be accepted. More information on the different types of acceptable vaccines is available here.
Fully vaccinated air travelers will also be required to show proof of a negative pre-departure COVID-19 test within three days of travel to the United States before boarding. This requirement applies to all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals.
While these new travel guidelines simplify the previously existing country by country restrictions, they have understandably raised numerous questions and concerns. The State Department has released an excellent FAQ that we encourage you to visit when making your international travel arrangements. We’ve distilled the most relevant information from the State Department below.
What counts as proof of vaccination, and how will the proof be verified?
Proof of vaccination should be a paper or digital record issued by an official source and should include the traveler’s name and date of birth, as well as the vaccine product and date(s) of administration for all doses the traveler received.
Airline workers will match the identifying information found on the proof of vaccination to the official ID from the passenger, ensure that the record was issued by an official source, and confirm that the traveler meets the Centers for Disease Control’s definition of being fully vaccinated.
Who is not required to present proof of vaccination status to airlines?
Proof of vaccination is not required for U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). However, members of these groups will need to either provide proof of vaccination and documentation of a negative viral test from a sample taken up to three days before departure to the United States, or, if unvaccinated, a negative viral test taken no more than one day before departure.
Travelers under the age of 18 are also exempt from the vaccination requirement due to the ineligibility of some younger children for vaccination, as well as the global variability in access to vaccination for older children. However, children between the ages of 2 and 18 are required to take a pre-departure test and present a negative result.
Vaccination exemptions for foreign nationals over the age of 18 are quite limited, but they include certain COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial participants, those with rare medical contraindications to the vaccines, those who need to travel for emergency or humanitarian reasons, those who are traveling on non-tourist visas from countries with low-vaccine availability, members of the armed forces and their immediate families, airline crew, ship crew, and diplomats. You can find more information about the limited vaccine exemptions on the CDC’s website.
What kinds of tests meet the testing requirement?
Both nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), such as a PCR test, and antigen tests qualify (you can find more information on the types of viral tests available here).
A self-test can be used if it meets the requirements of the order, including real-time proctoring by a telehealth service affiliated with the manufacturer of the test and that generates a test result that can be reviewed by the airline before boarding.
Will the updated travel guidelines also apply to entry via land and ferry?
Yes. The Department of Homeland Security has announced that non-citizen travelers who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and have appropriate documentation will be permitted to enter the United States via land ports of entry (POE) and ferry terminals starting on November 8, 2021.
What does the new contact tracing order do?
The Order requires that airlines collect contact information for all international travelers to the United States – including full name, as well as a phone number, email, and address at which they can be reached while staying in the United States.
Airlines will keep this information on hand and promptly turn it over to the CDC when requested. This will help public health organizations detect and respond to variants of COVID-19, as well as other public health threats.
This alert is for informational purposes only. Please contact us if you would like to discuss this development further.