Full Vaccination Now Mandatory For Visitors To The US

Full Vaccination Now Mandatory For Visitors To The 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. More details regarding what constitutes full vaccination are available on this page of the CDC website.

Fully vaccinated travelers will continue to be required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within three (3) days of travel to the United States prior to boarding.  This 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 excepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to test within one day of departure.  Additional information may be found on CDC’s website.
Passengers will need to show their vaccination status, and airlines will need to:

  • Match the name and date of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination.
  • Determine 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, number of vaccine doses received, date(s) of administration, and site of vaccination (e.g., vaccination clinic, healthcare facility).

Airlines must deny boarding to passengers who do not meet these requirements or those who test positive for COVID-19.

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

Actions to Take:

Assistance:

U.S. Department of State – Consular Affairs
1-888-407-4747 or 1-202-501-4444

Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates

Photo courtesy Minsalud

Related Posts