New COVID rules for international flights impact foreign tourists as well as the U.S. citizens and permanent residents returning to the United States.
The Biden administration is rolling out new international travel policies affecting Americans and noncitizens alike who want to fly into the U.S. The goal is to restore more normal air travel after 18 months of disruption caused by COVID-19. New travel policies will take effect in November 2021.
What is the new policy in a nutshell?
All adult foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. will be required to be fully vaccinated before boarding their flight. This is in addition to the current requirement that travelers show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure to the U.S.
Once the vaccination requirement is put in place, the White House will ease all the country-specific restrictions on international travel that have prevented non-citizens who have been in the United Kingdom, European Union, China, India, Iran, Republic of Ireland, Brazil or South Africa in the prior 14 days from entering the U.S.
How does this affect Americans?
Fully vaccinated Americans will only need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure to the U.S.
What about unvaccinated Americans?
U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are not fully vaccinated will still be able to fly to the U.S., but they will see tougher testing and contact tracing protocols. They will need to be tested within 24 hours of boarding a flight to the U.S., as well as undergo testing upon return to the country. It remains to be seen, though, how the federal government will enforce the testing requirement upon return.
Are unvaccinated children exempt from US entry rules?
Unvaccinated children of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals will be subject to the stricter new testing requirements. Today, children ages 2 and older boarding international flights to the United States must show proof of a negative test taken three days before boarding.
White House officials say limited exemptions for children may be added, but no decisions have been made.
What is CDC contact tracing and how will it affect US-bound airline passengers?
The new U.S. entry rules also call for a "strong contract tracing system."
Airlines will be required to collect personal information including a phone number and email from U.S.-bound travelers, whether American citizens or foreign nationals. They will be required to keep that information for 30 days in case a passenger is exposed to someone with COVID-19.
The CDC is going to issue a contract tracing order that will require airlines to request comprehensive information for every passenger coming to the United States and to provide that information promptly to the CDC upon request.
Will passengers on international flights to the US have to quarantine when they arrive?
No. The CDC does recommend, however, that unvaccinated Americans who travel internationally self-quarantine for seven days, even if they test negative for the coronavirus when they return home.
What about travel over land borders?
The administration's restrictions on crossing land borders from Mexico and Canada into the U.S. are to remain unchanged for now. That means that in some cases fully vaccinated people from the two American neighbors will soon be able fly to the U.S., but may not be able to make the same journey by car.
Which vaccines are acceptable?
The CDC says the U.S. will accept full vaccination of travelers with any COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, including those from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson used in the U.S. Other vaccines are also approved by the WHO and used widely around the world, including from AstraZeneca and China’s Sinovac, with varying degrees of effectiveness against COVID-19 and its more transmissible delta variant. The WHO is reviewing Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine but hasn’t approved it.
Read more here.
The Biden administration is rolling out new international travel policies affecting Americans and noncitizens alike who want to fly into the U.S. The goal is to restore more normal air travel after 18 months of disruption caused by COVID-19. New travel policies will take effect in November 2021.
What is the new policy in a nutshell?
All adult foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. will be required to be fully vaccinated before boarding their flight. This is in addition to the current requirement that travelers show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure to the U.S.
Once the vaccination requirement is put in place, the White House will ease all the country-specific restrictions on international travel that have prevented non-citizens who have been in the United Kingdom, European Union, China, India, Iran, Republic of Ireland, Brazil or South Africa in the prior 14 days from entering the U.S.
How does this affect Americans?
Fully vaccinated Americans will only need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure to the U.S.
What about unvaccinated Americans?
U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are not fully vaccinated will still be able to fly to the U.S., but they will see tougher testing and contact tracing protocols. They will need to be tested within 24 hours of boarding a flight to the U.S., as well as undergo testing upon return to the country. It remains to be seen, though, how the federal government will enforce the testing requirement upon return.
Are unvaccinated children exempt from US entry rules?
Unvaccinated children of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals will be subject to the stricter new testing requirements. Today, children ages 2 and older boarding international flights to the United States must show proof of a negative test taken three days before boarding.
White House officials say limited exemptions for children may be added, but no decisions have been made.
What is CDC contact tracing and how will it affect US-bound airline passengers?
The new U.S. entry rules also call for a "strong contract tracing system."
Airlines will be required to collect personal information including a phone number and email from U.S.-bound travelers, whether American citizens or foreign nationals. They will be required to keep that information for 30 days in case a passenger is exposed to someone with COVID-19.
The CDC is going to issue a contract tracing order that will require airlines to request comprehensive information for every passenger coming to the United States and to provide that information promptly to the CDC upon request.
Will passengers on international flights to the US have to quarantine when they arrive?
No. The CDC does recommend, however, that unvaccinated Americans who travel internationally self-quarantine for seven days, even if they test negative for the coronavirus when they return home.
What about travel over land borders?
The administration's restrictions on crossing land borders from Mexico and Canada into the U.S. are to remain unchanged for now. That means that in some cases fully vaccinated people from the two American neighbors will soon be able fly to the U.S., but may not be able to make the same journey by car.
Which vaccines are acceptable?
The CDC says the U.S. will accept full vaccination of travelers with any COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, including those from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson used in the U.S. Other vaccines are also approved by the WHO and used widely around the world, including from AstraZeneca and China’s Sinovac, with varying degrees of effectiveness against COVID-19 and its more transmissible delta variant. The WHO is reviewing Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine but hasn’t approved it.
Read more here.
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