Updated Requirements for Air Travelers to the U.S. due to COVID-19

Photo by: U.S. Department of State (IIP Bureau) Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a major airport 3 miles south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia.

December 3rd, 2021

Starting on December 6, air travelers aged two and older, regardless of nationality or vaccination status, are required to show documentation of a negative viral test result taken within one day of the flight’s departure to the United States before boarding or proof of having recovered from Covid-19 in the past 90 days. That includes all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals.

Please refer to the CDC for additional guidance clicking here

October 27th, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a new Order for all air passengers traveling to the United States. Effective November 8, 2021, all non-immigrant, non-citizen air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to the United States.

Exceptions to this policy will be extremely limited:

children under 18
people medically unable to receive the vaccine
emergency travelers who do not have timely access to a vaccine

Humanitarian exemptions to this order will be granted on an extremely limited basis.

U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) who are eligible to travel but are not fully vaccinated will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test one (1) day before their flight’s departure. U.S citizens and LPRs who are fully vaccinated will need to present airlines with proof of vaccination and of a negative COVID-19 test three (3) days before their flight.

For additional information, please visit our FAQs for answers to questions about the requirement for proof of negative COVID-19 test or recovery from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving in the United States.

The CDC recommends that you do not travel internationally until you are fully vaccinated. International travel poses additional risks, and even fully vaccinated travelers might be at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading some COVID-19 variants. Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. If you do travel, follow all CDC recommendations before, during, and after travel.

The CDC have determined that, for travel to the United States, accepted vaccines will include the vaccines approved or authorized by the FDA and vaccines listed in the World Health Organization Emergency Use List (EUL). Those vaccines are currently Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and also vaccines such as AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinovac, and Sinopharm, listed in the WHO Emergency Use List (EUL).

More details available in CDC annexes here.