The United States is about to make it much easier for vaccinated international travelers to visit.
The White House announced Friday that a new air travel system will take effect Nov. 8, allowing entry for fully vaccinated foreign tourists. The system is set to launch more than 20 months after the U.S. began imposing travel restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The move by the White House will essentially have the U.S. drop its travel ban on dozens of countries while also making entry more challenging for the unvaccinated. The new system will allow entry for foreign nationals only with vaccinations approved by the World Health Organization and would add testing requirements for unvaccinated Americans.
Here’s what we know about the new travel requirements:
What are the entry requirements for foreign nationals?
Starting Nov. 8, vaccinated foreign air travelers will need to show proof of full vaccination as well as a pre-departure negative coronavirus test taken within three days of travel before they can board a plane to the U.S.
Airlines will collect personal information, including a phone number and email, from all U.S.-bound travelers for contact tracing. Airlines are required to keep the information on hand for 30 days so health officials can follow up with travelers who may have been exposed to COVID-19.
Masking will be required, but there will be no quarantine mandate.
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The change will make entering the U.S. possible for travelers from countries now listed on the U.S. travel ban, which prohibits entry for travelers who have been in any of the regions within the past 14 days. The travel bans took effect in early 2020 and include:
China
Iran
United Kingdom
Republic of Ireland
Brazil
South Africa
India
The European Schengen area (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City)
Travelers arriving from countries not included in the ban will face stricter entry requirements come Nov. 8. Currently, the U.S. asks international air passengers only to get tested within three days of their flight to the U.S. and show either the negative test result or proof of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding.
What about the land borders with Mexico and Canada?
New travel rules will also take effect for foreign nationals arriving by land or passenger ferry.
Starting Nov. 8, fully vaccinated foreign nationals can cross the land borders for nonessential reasons such as tourism or visiting friends and family. Entry rules along the border will change again in early January, with all travelers – including those traveling for essential purposes – required to show proof of full vaccination.
Foreign travelers will be able to show vaccination status in either a paper or digital format, and U.S. Customers and Border Protection will spot-check travelers’ vaccination documents. Foreign nationals will also need appropriate travel documentation to enter the country.
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Which vaccines does the US accept for travel?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that vaccines approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and World Health Organization will be accepted for air travel. White House officials expect the CDC to approve the same vaccines for travelers entering the U.S. by land or ferry.
The FDA has authorized three COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use during the pandemic: Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer-BioNTech, the last of which has received the FDA’s full stamp of approval.
Vaccines with WHO approval include:
Johnson & Johnson
Moderna
Pfizer-BioNTech
Oxford-AstraZeneca/Covishield
Sinopharm
Sinovac
The CDC confirmed Friday that it would accept a mix-and-match approach to vaccinations. Travelers who have any combination of FDA- or WHO-approved vaccines will be considered fully vaccinated.
The new travel policy does not accept foreign travelers who have had COVID and received just one shot in a two-dose series. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the administration will “continue to review” its entry requirements.
The agency has yet to release information on how U.S. citizens who are foreign residents with vaccines not yet approved by WHO can enter the U.S.
Additionally, U.S. officials have not given any indication that proof of recovery from COVID-19 can be used in lieu of proof of vaccination.
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How do the new rules affect kids?
Children will generally be exempt from the vaccine requirements, a White House official not authorized to speak on the record told USA TODAY.
Psaki said last month that unvaccinated children of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals would be subject to the stricter new testing requirements.
Currently, all air passengers 2 or older, including U.S. citizens and permanent residents, need to show a negative coronavirus test to fly to the U.S.
What are the entry requirements for Americans?
The new travel system adds more stringent testing requirements for unvaccinated U.S. travelers.
Starting Nov. 8, unvaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents will need to take a test one day before departure and test again upon arrival in the U.S.
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Entry requirements will not change for vaccinated Americans. They will still need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken no more than three days before departure.
Americans will not need to be fully vaccinated to board international flights to the U.S.