No COVID-19 Vaccine, No America

The US government has barred entry to unvaccinated travelers and all non-citizens wishing to visit their country. In an announcement on October 25, President Joe Biden announced that the United States would adopt a global air travel policy to take effect on November 8, 2021. 

In a health alert, the US government said the latest policy prioritizes public health, protecting U.S. citizens and residents as well as "those who come to visit us."

“Effective November 8 all non-citizen, nonimmigrant (not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or traveling to the United States on an immigrant visa) airline passengers traveling to the United States, must demonstrate proof of vaccination as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Order prior to boarding a U.S. bound aircraft,” the alert added.

Under new rules, vaccinated travelers are only allowed in the US if they had taken either the currently approved or authorized emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson [J&J]/Janssen COVID-19 vaccines), or the COVID-19 vaccines that have been listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization (such as AstraZeneca/Oxford).

The US government noted that while passengers need to show their vaccination status, it is the airlines that will match the name and date of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination. 

It added that airlines will then determine if the record was issued by an official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency) in the country where the vaccine was given. 

“Review the essential information for determining if the passenger meets CDC's definition for fully vaccinated such as vaccine product, the number of vaccine doses received to date(s) of administration, site (e.g., vaccination clinic, healthcare facility) of vaccination.  Airlines must deny boarding to passengers who do not meet these requirements or those who test positive for COVID-19,” the release said.

However, the alert added that fully vaccinated travelers are required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within three days of travel to the United States prior to boarding. 

The alert noted that the negative test restriction applies to all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals. 

“To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travelers – whether U.S. citizens, LPRs or the small number of accepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to test within one (1) day of departure.”

What constitutes full vaccination?

If you plan to travel internationally, you will need to get a COVID-19 viral test (regardless of vaccination status) before you travel by air into the United States. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight.

For a fully vaccinated, the viral test, according to the CDC, must be conducted on a sample taken no more than 3 days before the flight’s departure from a foreign country if you show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

But for not fully vaccinated, the viral test must be conducted on a sample taken no more than 1 day before the flight’s departure from a foreign country if you do not show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

If recently recovered from COVID-19, travel is allowed with documentation of recovery from COVID-19 (i.e., your positive COVID-19 viral test result on a sample taken no more than 90 days before the flight’s departure from a foreign country and a letter from a licensed healthcare provider or a public health official stating that you were cleared to travel).

For additional information or if you have specific questions, please contact your airline and visit the CDC’s website.