TRAVEL UPDATE: Most recent COVID-19 requirements for international travel to the United States

The CDC no longer requires that people arriving in the U.S. by plane test negative for COVID-19. Effective immediately, air travelers will NOT be required to test negative to enter the U.S. Almost all foreign nationals will still be required to be vaccinated against coronavirus to enter the country, with limited exceptions.

Vaccine Requirements for International Air Travelers as of September 13, 2022:

Travelers who are not U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, or traveling to the U.S. on an immigrant visa must be fully vaccinated to enter the United States. There are very limited exemptions to this policy.

Accepted vaccines include those authorized or approved by the FDA and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines. The US will accept any combination of vaccines from the FDA and WHO lists for individuals to achieve full-vaccination status (for example, one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and a second dose of Oxford-AztraZeneca). (For more details, see this CDC website.)

• FDA Authorized/Approved Vaccines: Moderna, Johnson & Johnson (Jansen), Pfizer-BioNTech, and Novavax.
• WHO Approved Vaccines: Moderna, Johnson & Johnson (Jansen), Pfizer-BioNTech, Novavax, Oxford-AztraZeneca/Covishield, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Covaxin, Covashield, and Covavax.
• Additional Approved Vaccine: Medicago.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receipt of the last dose if they have received any single dose of an FDA approved/authorized or WHO EUL approved single-dose series (i.e., Janssen), or any combination of two doses of an FDA approved/authorized or WHO emergency use listed COVID-19 two-dose series (i.e., mixing and matching). (For more details, see this CDC website.)

Requirements for Children

Children under 18 are exempt from the vaccination requirement for foreign national travelers.

Border Crossing from Canada and Mexico (Title 19 Restrictions Lifted)

DHS has resumed allowing non-essential travel across regular land and ferry borders. Non-essential travel includes tourism and visiting friends and family.

Effective January 22, 2022, DHS will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all border travelers who are not U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, or U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents.

Continue to communicate with our office and your employer if you have questions.