Starting November 8, 2021, all adult non-immigrant travelers entering the United States via air travel must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with only limited exceptions. The proclamation creating this new rule also ends the travel ban restricting entry of non-immigrants who have been in Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the Schengen Area. Travelers will also have to present proof of negative test, performed within certain time-frames prior to travel.
Additionally, non-essential travel for fully vaccinated individuals across land and ferry borders will be permitted as of November 8, 2021. Essential travel for unvaccinated individuals traveling by land and ferry will be allowed until January 21, 2022. However, after that time, full vaccination status will be required at all types of entry points.
Finally, proof of negative Covid test will be required prior to travel, even for vaccinated travelers.
What vaccines are accepted under this proclamation? A person must have received a vaccine approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or World Health Organization (WHO), which currently includes the following vaccines: Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (Single Dose), Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, BIBP/Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
Following the vaccine, when is a person considered fully vaccinated? A person will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last dose of a multi-dose, or the first dose of a single dose, approved vaccine. Receipt of doses from any two different approved vaccines is acceptable.
What should a traveler carry to prove vaccination status? Before boarding a flight to the United States, adult non-immigrant travelers must provide proof of vaccination to the airline. This can include both paper and digital formats. The airline will verify the traveler’s name, date of birth, and source of the proof, to ensure that it comes from an official source. If the record is not in English, the traveler should check with the airline as to whether a translation will be required. Similar proof will also be required at land and ferry crossings, and it will be presented to CBP. Acceptable proof of vaccination status may include the following:
Who Is Exempt from the Vaccination Requirement? The following categories of individuals do not have to prove COVID-19 vaccination status in order to fly into the United States:
What else must be shown prior to travel? All travelers over the age of 2 will have to present proof of negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding a flight bound for the United States. The timing of this test will differ based on vaccination status:
Do non-vaccinated people have to do anything else? Non-vaccinated people must attest to the following:
The American Immigration Lawyers Association has provided detailed guidance, upon which this post is based. For further information, please contact jwest@rothjackson.com.
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