Sep 15, 2021, 1:47 pm
Last edit by: NewbieRunner
New thread for discussing 1-day test requirements for travellers arriving in the US by air
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/coronavirus-travel/2060730-us-require-air-travelers-provide-negative-test-within-1-day-departure.html
Entry ban from eight southern African countries starting on November 29, 2021
Most non-U.S. citizens who have been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique or Malaw within the prior 14 days will not be allowed into the United States.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/11/26/a-proclamation-on-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-nonimmigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease-2019/
Entry ban by air to be lifted on November 8, 2021 - All travelers should refer to CDC for travel requirements.
3 day pre-flight testing requirement will continue (US citizens/LPR not vaccinated will have to test no earlier than 1 day prior) Children under 2 years old do not need to test.
Children under 18 are exempt from vaccination requirement
Accepted vaccines will include:
There is a face mask mandate when flying to/from the USA, with effectively no exemptions, and including children two and above years old
Airlines need to provide some sort of contact tracing information for potential follow-up cases
Update on U.S. travel policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination
Last Updated: October 25, 2021
As announced by the White House today, the new travel policy requiring foreign nationals traveling to the United States to demonstrate proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will take effect November 8. The CDC’s website explains that, for purposes of entry into the United States, the accepted vaccines will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines.
COVID-19 Travel Restrictions and Exceptions - U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs
Last updated: October 25, 2021
The presidential proclamations described on this page will no longer be in effect on November 8, 2021. For additional information, please see Safely Resuming Travel by Vaccine Requirement and Rescission of Travel Restrictions on Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa, and the United Kingdom (travel.state.gov).
To protect the public health, there are four presidential proclamations that suspend entry into the United States of all noncitizens who were physically present in any of 33 countries during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. They are Presidential Proclamation 9984 (China); Presidential Proclamation 9992 (Iran); Presidential Proclamation 10143 (Schengen Area, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, and South Africa); and Presidential Proclamation 10199 (India).
What we know so far is
- Confirmed to start on 8 November
- Children under 18 are exempt from the vaccine restrictions, so the varying international standards on jab ages won't be an issue here.
- Vaccines that are OK will include Pfizer, Moderna, AZ, J&J and the two Chinese vaccines.
- Some exemptions from vaccinations are potentially allowed, notably for US citizens, though my guess is airlines will be expecting to see vaccine certificates
- 3 day pre-flight testing requirement will continue, so this needs to be a documented antigen/Lateral Flow test or PCR.
- 3 days is potentially more than 72 hours, departure on a Friday afternoon means a test on Tuesday morning or thereafter.
- NHS Lateral Flows and PCRs can't be used.
- Children over 2 years old travelling with vaccinated travellers have to be tested on the same basis (3 days).
- 1 day testing for unvaccinated USA legal residents (testing on or the day before departure), including their children.
- All passengers need to sign an attestment to confirm their negative test result and also a statement to confirm full vaccination status.
- Children who are not vaccinated do not need to get vaccinated but do need to get a "viral test" 3 to 5 days after arrival in the USA
- As a result there is a separate attestion question for unvaccinated children to confirm that the viral test is arranged.
- Vaccination certificates must come from an official source. The NHS COVID Pass app and EU DCC are specifically mentioned as acceptable.
- Vaccination is counted as two weeks from dose2, or 2 weeks after the sole dose in the case of J&J.
- Antibody certification is not a replacement for the need for vaccination, at least for non USA residents.
- 14 clear days need to elapse before travel. So if jabbed on 1 October then 15 October is when you are good to go.
- Booster vaccinations are not a factor here, they don't count towards or against the primary dose process.
- There is a face mask mandate when flying to/from the USA, with effectively no exemptions, and including children two and above years old.
- Airlines need to provide some sort of contact tracing information for potential follow-up cases.
- These restrictions do not apply at the land border.
Note that a lot of interpretation onus falls on airlines. For example there is no language requirement for vaccine certificates as far as the CDC is concerned, however you can imagine Air France may be hesitant in accepting a vaccine certificate issued in the Welsh language, to take one example.
CDC link
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2...el-System.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/coronavirus-travel/2060730-us-require-air-travelers-provide-negative-test-within-1-day-departure.html
Entry ban from eight southern African countries starting on November 29, 2021
Most non-U.S. citizens who have been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique or Malaw within the prior 14 days will not be allowed into the United States.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/11/26/a-proclamation-on-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-nonimmigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease-2019/
Entry ban by air to be lifted on November 8, 2021 - All travelers should refer to CDC for travel requirements.
3 day pre-flight testing requirement will continue (US citizens/LPR not vaccinated will have to test no earlier than 1 day prior) Children under 2 years old do not need to test.
Children under 18 are exempt from vaccination requirement
Accepted vaccines will include:
- AstraZeneca
- BIBP/Sinopharm
- Covishield
- Janssen/J&J
- Moderna
- Pfizer-BioNTech
- Sinovac
There is a face mask mandate when flying to/from the USA, with effectively no exemptions, and including children two and above years old
Airlines need to provide some sort of contact tracing information for potential follow-up cases
Update on U.S. travel policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination
Last Updated: October 25, 2021
As announced by the White House today, the new travel policy requiring foreign nationals traveling to the United States to demonstrate proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will take effect November 8. The CDC’s website explains that, for purposes of entry into the United States, the accepted vaccines will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines.
COVID-19 Travel Restrictions and Exceptions - U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs
Last updated: October 25, 2021
The presidential proclamations described on this page will no longer be in effect on November 8, 2021. For additional information, please see Safely Resuming Travel by Vaccine Requirement and Rescission of Travel Restrictions on Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa, and the United Kingdom (travel.state.gov).
To protect the public health, there are four presidential proclamations that suspend entry into the United States of all noncitizens who were physically present in any of 33 countries during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. They are Presidential Proclamation 9984 (China); Presidential Proclamation 9992 (Iran); Presidential Proclamation 10143 (Schengen Area, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, and South Africa); and Presidential Proclamation 10199 (India).
What we know so far is
- Confirmed to start on 8 November
- Children under 18 are exempt from the vaccine restrictions, so the varying international standards on jab ages won't be an issue here.
- Vaccines that are OK will include Pfizer, Moderna, AZ, J&J and the two Chinese vaccines.
- Some exemptions from vaccinations are potentially allowed, notably for US citizens, though my guess is airlines will be expecting to see vaccine certificates
- 3 day pre-flight testing requirement will continue, so this needs to be a documented antigen/Lateral Flow test or PCR.
- 3 days is potentially more than 72 hours, departure on a Friday afternoon means a test on Tuesday morning or thereafter.
- NHS Lateral Flows and PCRs can't be used.
- Children over 2 years old travelling with vaccinated travellers have to be tested on the same basis (3 days).
- 1 day testing for unvaccinated USA legal residents (testing on or the day before departure), including their children.
- All passengers need to sign an attestment to confirm their negative test result and also a statement to confirm full vaccination status.
- Children who are not vaccinated do not need to get vaccinated but do need to get a "viral test" 3 to 5 days after arrival in the USA
- As a result there is a separate attestion question for unvaccinated children to confirm that the viral test is arranged.
- Vaccination certificates must come from an official source. The NHS COVID Pass app and EU DCC are specifically mentioned as acceptable.
- Vaccination is counted as two weeks from dose2, or 2 weeks after the sole dose in the case of J&J.
- Antibody certification is not a replacement for the need for vaccination, at least for non USA residents.
- 14 clear days need to elapse before travel. So if jabbed on 1 October then 15 October is when you are good to go.
- Booster vaccinations are not a factor here, they don't count towards or against the primary dose process.
- There is a face mask mandate when flying to/from the USA, with effectively no exemptions, and including children two and above years old.
- Airlines need to provide some sort of contact tracing information for potential follow-up cases.
- These restrictions do not apply at the land border.
Note that a lot of interpretation onus falls on airlines. For example there is no language requirement for vaccine certificates as far as the CDC is concerned, however you can imagine Air France may be hesitant in accepting a vaccine certificate issued in the Welsh language, to take one example.
CDC link
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2...el-System.html
US reopened on 8 November 2021 (& subsequent entry restrictions for non-citizens)
Jul 20, 2021, 11:50 am
#1711
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,267
That's just one country, which still accepts the record for entry, and may or may not have workarounds for tourists. Nor does it negate the remaining countries that are accepting US and other third-country records every day...some (Iceland, Greece, Croatia) for some time. There will never be a worldwide interoperable verification system for vaccination cards, COVID recovery documents, or negative test documents.
...
Consider this as well: The US requires negative test documentation for all inbound travelers.
...
Consider this as well: The US requires negative test documentation for all inbound travelers.
And the US government has no incentive for complicated vaccination and testing schemes for non-citizen arrivals. Our travel industry is already booming, and there are shortages in everything from hotel staff to rental cars. The EU and UK are in a different position economically and they apparently have a different calculation of the risk vs economic reward that would come from dealing with foreign tourists. As the situation changes, that calculation of risk may change--and I believe it already is changing *towards* renewed restrictions.
Ultimately, the US government is most likely using vaccination rates here in the US as the metric for opening to foreigners. Many Americans have chosen, [moderator edit] to accept a high risk of death in exchange for emotional validation. How do you change that, so that we get to a high enough level of vaccination among our own people to allow foreign tourists? IMO, the FDA needs to give full licensing to the mRNA vaccines. This is the key that would unlock a whole host of vaccine mandates. [Moderator edit.]
Last edited by Ocn Vw 1K; Jul 20, 2021 at 1:29 pm Reason: To edit content OK for the OMNI/PR forum but inappropriate for this Travel forum.
Jul 20, 2021, 12:11 pm
#1712
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
Jul 20, 2021, 12:15 pm
#1713
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
The trend is towards more stringent requirements. Just off the top of my head--Iceland is requiring that all vaccinated travelers get tested upon departing for Iceland. France is requiring the Pass Sanitaire starting tomorrow, and IIRC Greece is requiring the EU vaccine passport as well. Portugal already implemented more stringent requirements after they were hit a few weeks back. The UK requires vaccinated arrivals from France to quarantine 10 days. The trend is towards stricter regulation, and yet some people seem to have expected the US government to throw open the floodgates immediately. Like it or not, this will not happen.
And the US government has no incentive for complicated vaccination and testing schemes for non-citizen arrivals. Our travel industry is already booming, and there are shortages in everything from hotel staff to rental cars. The EU and UK are in a different position economically and they apparently have a different calculation of the risk vs economic reward that would come from dealing with foreign tourists. As the situation changes, that calculation of risk may change--and I believe it already is changing *towards* renewed restrictions.
Ultimately, the US government is most likely using vaccination rates here in the US as the metric for opening to foreigners. Many Americans have chosen, [moderator edit], to accept a high risk of death in exchange for emotional validation. How do you change that, so that we get to a high enough level of vaccination among our own people to allow foreign tourists? IMO, the FDA needs to give full licensing to the mRNA vaccines. This is the key that would unlock a whole host of vaccine mandates. [Moderator edit.]
Last edited by Ocn Vw 1K; Jul 20, 2021 at 1:31 pm Reason: Conforming moderator edits made to original quoted post.
Jul 20, 2021, 12:38 pm
#1714
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AS 75K (OW), SK Silver (*A), UR, MR
Posts: 3,345
We really have no idea what metrics the government is using. On the contrary, from the recent articles upthread, they have not even decided upon any metrics and one of the primary COVID advisors reportedly is hesitant to lift the bans primarily due to domestic political concerns, not any health criteria.
“The White House has repeatedly ruled out a so-called national vaccine passport in the face of pushback among conservatives who have raised concerns about government overreach and discrimination against Americans who opt not to get vaccinated.“
Jul 20, 2021, 1:33 pm
#1715
Join Date: May 2018
Location: FRA
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 1,500
I recall this from a recent link:
“The White House has repeatedly ruled out a so-called national vaccine passport in the face of pushback among conservatives who have raised concerns about government overreach and discrimination against Americans who opt not to get vaccinated.“
“The White House has repeatedly ruled out a so-called national vaccine passport in the face of pushback among conservatives who have raised concerns about government overreach and discrimination against Americans who opt not to get vaccinated.“
That seems simple to work around, US citizens and residents continue to get in with just a test, everyone else on ESTA / visa / etc.etc need both vaccination and a test.
Jul 20, 2021, 2:12 pm
#1716
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,248
It's a bit weird but it's perfectly possible to work on a UK 9-5 anywhere in the world.
I was reminded on this recently when giving a training course online from the USA to attendees in the UK. I have previously given the course several times in person in the UK but decided to do it online during the pandemic. I completely forgot to account for the time zone difference. It made for an interesting week starting the first 3 days at 3am local! It was very pleasant watching the sun come up.
I was reminded on this recently when giving a training course online from the USA to attendees in the UK. I have previously given the course several times in person in the UK but decided to do it online during the pandemic. I completely forgot to account for the time zone difference. It made for an interesting week starting the first 3 days at 3am local! It was very pleasant watching the sun come up.
Jul 20, 2021, 2:14 pm
#1717
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 2
UK NIE and travel through a third country
Hello! We applied for an NIE from UK but saw that it would take 30+ days to approve so came to Mexico for 14 days in case it was a quicker way to get into the US. After 9 days in Mexico we have had our NIE approved. We’d like to go back to the US sooner than 14 days (ie tomorrow). Does anyone know if this is possible if we’re not travelling directly from UK anymore?
Has anyone done this successfully?
Thanks for your help!
Has anyone done this successfully?
Thanks for your help!
Jul 20, 2021, 2:16 pm
#1718
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,248
Hello Jennifer Elliott and welcome to FlyerTalk.
By my reading of the proclamation and NIEs that should be fine. You have an NIE to exempt you from being in the UK in the last 14 days. There's nothing to stop you traveling there tomorrow from Mexico in my opinion. You will of course need proof of a negative test.
By my reading of the proclamation and NIEs that should be fine. You have an NIE to exempt you from being in the UK in the last 14 days. There's nothing to stop you traveling there tomorrow from Mexico in my opinion. You will of course need proof of a negative test.
Jul 20, 2021, 2:40 pm
#1719
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 54
Hello! We applied for an NIE from UK but saw that it would take 30+ days to approve so came to Mexico for 14 days in case it was a quicker way to get into the US. After 9 days in Mexico we have had our NIE approved. We’d like to go back to the US sooner than 14 days (ie tomorrow). Does anyone know if this is possible if we’re not travelling directly from UK anymore?
Has anyone done this successfully?
Thanks for your help!
Has anyone done this successfully?
Thanks for your help!
Jul 20, 2021, 3:03 pm
#1720
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,267
What complicated testing scheme? The requirement for all travelers from any country worldwide (whether the country is high or low risk) to test prior to getting on a plane to the US already exists.
....
We really have no idea what metrics the government is using. On the contrary, from the recent articles upthread, they have not even decided upon any metrics and one of the primary COVID advisors reportedly is hesitant to lift the bans primarily due to domestic political concerns, not any health criteria.
....
We really have no idea what metrics the government is using. On the contrary, from the recent articles upthread, they have not even decided upon any metrics and one of the primary COVID advisors reportedly is hesitant to lift the bans primarily due to domestic political concerns, not any health criteria.
Assumption 1 is that the US ought to open up to foreign travelers ASAP because it's worth the trouble, so any kind of verification or testing scheme is worthwhile. The US government does not agree, and in their eyes setting up a mechanism for accomplishing something that they regard as unimportant is not worth the while.
Assumption 2 is that the public health situation in the US belongs in the fuzzy realm of politics rather than the quantifiable realm of public health. The two cannot be divorced. At this moment, public health and politics are joined at the hip. A worsening public health situation is *both* a public health problem and a political problem. And right now, cases are soaring in the US, particularly in wide-open states like Florida or Texas, with 10-15% positivity rates.
Jul 20, 2021, 3:29 pm
#1721
Join Date: May 2012
Location: JFK, MAN
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond, Amex Plat
Posts: 425
Hello! We applied for an NIE from UK but saw that it would take 30+ days to approve so came to Mexico for 14 days in case it was a quicker way to get into the US. After 9 days in Mexico we have had our NIE approved. We’d like to go back to the US sooner than 14 days (ie tomorrow). Does anyone know if this is possible if we’re not travelling directly from UK anymore?
Has anyone done this successfully?
Thanks for your help!
Has anyone done this successfully?
Thanks for your help!
The email from the US Embassy London explicitly sets out that the NIE is valid only from UK departures. This is because the DHS agent stationed at Heathrow has access to the US Embassy London's NIE database.
Even if you are allowed to board (the Mexico flight agents have very little, if not zero, experience with NIEs – as Mexicans don't require NIEs), it is pretty guaranteed that CBP will pull you into secondary inspection and they will make the final determination if you're allowed in.
If I were you, I'd either wait for the 14 days to be done or fly back to the UK then onwards to the US. The US does not tolerate gaming of the restrictions, and they have ways to check for compliance.
Jul 20, 2021, 3:51 pm
#1722
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: DL, UA, AA, VS
Posts: 5,226
I recall this from a recent link:
“The White House has repeatedly ruled out a so-called national vaccine passport in the face of pushback among conservatives who have raised concerns about government overreach and discrimination against Americans who opt not to get vaccinated.“
“The White House has repeatedly ruled out a so-called national vaccine passport in the face of pushback among conservatives who have raised concerns about government overreach and discrimination against Americans who opt not to get vaccinated.“
Remember, this talk about a vaccine passport started around March or so.
They would have set themselves up for failure to try to get something up and running in a few months.
Jul 20, 2021, 4:15 pm
#1723
Join Date: Jul 2021
Posts: 2
Technically it is not possible-- in practice it may be a different story.
The email from the US Embassy London explicitly sets out that the NIE is valid only from UK departures. This is because the DHS agent stationed at Heathrow has access to the US Embassy London's NIE database.
Even if you are allowed to board (the Mexico flight agents have very little, if not zero, experience with NIEs – as Mexicans don't require NIEs), it is pretty guaranteed that CBP will pull you into secondary inspection and they will make the final determination if you're allowed in.
If I were you, I'd either wait for the 14 days to be done or fly back to the UK then onwards to the US. The US does not tolerate gaming of the restrictions, and they have ways to check for compliance.
The email from the US Embassy London explicitly sets out that the NIE is valid only from UK departures. This is because the DHS agent stationed at Heathrow has access to the US Embassy London's NIE database.
Even if you are allowed to board (the Mexico flight agents have very little, if not zero, experience with NIEs – as Mexicans don't require NIEs), it is pretty guaranteed that CBP will pull you into secondary inspection and they will make the final determination if you're allowed in.
If I were you, I'd either wait for the 14 days to be done or fly back to the UK then onwards to the US. The US does not tolerate gaming of the restrictions, and they have ways to check for compliance.
Thanks for your reply! Where in the email are you seeing it states that the NIE is valid only from UK departures?
The only part I can see is: "This approval only relates to travel between the United Kingdom and the United States." However, this could be interpreted as you are only exempt from the proclamation for UK to US (no other countries included in the proclamation).
Further in the email it mentions a “layover in another country” which suggests indirect travel may be possible.
Jul 20, 2021, 5:49 pm
#1724
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,267
Those ought to be really simple problems to solve: the French or British governments control their own apps and they already have centralized health system records, so how hard can it be to fix these issues? Yet it has gone on for months, and (at least with the NHS app) all people have is promises of "just a few more weeks."
Jul 20, 2021, 8:30 pm
#1725
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 123
Hi--I am a non-US citizen living in the US on a work visa (H1B). I will be traveling to the EU in late August with my US citizen spouse.
I understand that I am exempt from the travel ban because I am the spouse of a US citizen. Does anyone know or have experience with what documents we need to bring? My spouse will bring their US passport to prove their citizenship, but do we also need to bring our marriage certificate? Do we need to original or will a copy do?
Hopefully by late August the ban will be lifted, but in case not would appreciate pointers
I understand that I am exempt from the travel ban because I am the spouse of a US citizen. Does anyone know or have experience with what documents we need to bring? My spouse will bring their US passport to prove their citizenship, but do we also need to bring our marriage certificate? Do we need to original or will a copy do?
Hopefully by late August the ban will be lifted, but in case not would appreciate pointers