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US reopened on 8 November 2021 (& subsequent entry restrictions for non-citizens)

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Old Sep 15, 2021, 1:47 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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:
  • AstraZeneca
  • BIBP/Sinopharm
  • Covishield
  • Janssen/J&J
  • Moderna
  • Pfizer-BioNTech
  • Sinovac
Vaccination certificates must come from an official source
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


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US reopened on 8 November 2021 (& subsequent entry restrictions for non-citizens)

 
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Old Oct 14, 2021, 3:59 am
  #2566  
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
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Not sure if this is the right thread but does anyone have advice?

I was meant to be flying to USA today on an ESTA but obviously that didn't go ahead and I had cancelled a fair few weeks ago with BA. I received my voucher with British Airways and used it for a trip this November as the travel ban is ending. However for some reason, unlike other cancelled trips, the trip for today remained on my BA App/Website account and I was getting alerts this morning.

BA confirmed on Twitter my booking was cancelled yet I received an email from DHS at 3am saying my ESTA is now expired.

Will this have any impact on my trip in November - should I reapply for an ESTA now?

I've not had this problem with other trips and I'm worried about November now.
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Old Oct 14, 2021, 4:04 am
  #2567  
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Originally Posted by leemair23
Not sure if this is the right thread but does anyone have advice?

I was meant to be flying to USA today on an ESTA but obviously that didn't go ahead and I had cancelled a fair few weeks ago with BA. I received my voucher with British Airways and used it for a trip this November as the travel ban is ending. However for some reason, unlike other cancelled trips, the trip for today remained on my BA App/Website account and I was getting alerts this morning.

BA confirmed on Twitter my booking was cancelled yet I received an email from DHS at 3am saying my ESTA is now expired.

Will this have any impact on my trip in November - should I reapply for an ESTA now?

I've not had this problem with other trips and I'm worried about November now.
There are two separate issues here.

First, the BA IT systems are not great and cancelled bookings often hang around in the 'manage my booking' section. If you have a confirmation of the cancellation (and I'm sure you do) then you can ignore what you see in your BA account.

The ESTA situation is independent. It sounds like it's expired. You may as well go ahead and renew it now given that you're going to need it soon.
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Old Oct 14, 2021, 4:14 am
  #2568  
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 73
Originally Posted by golfmad
There are two separate issues here.

First, the BA IT systems are not great and cancelled bookings often hang around in the 'manage my booking' section. If you have a confirmation of the cancellation (and I'm sure you do) then you can ignore what you see in your BA account.

The ESTA situation is independent. It sounds like it's expired. You may as well go ahead and renew it now given that you're going to need it soon.
Thank you for this.

I do have the cancellation but I had heard from other travellers that their ESTA had been cancelled/expired if they had a booking for during the travel ban on that day. That's why I wondered if the BA booking hanging around was still 'live' as I was getting updates on the flights this morning.

I only purchased the ESTA in March 2021
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Old Oct 14, 2021, 4:17 am
  #2569  
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Originally Posted by leemair23
Thank you for this.

I do have the cancellation but I had heard from other travellers that their ESTA had been cancelled/expired if they had a booking for during the travel ban on that day. That's why I wondered if the BA booking hanging around was still 'live' as I was getting updates on the flights this morning.

I only purchased the ESTA in March 2021
Oh, I see what you mean. That's annoying and it does sound like it was impacted by the cancelled BA booking. You might want to ask BA to pay for the costs of your new ESTA!!
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Old Oct 14, 2021, 5:33 am
  #2570  
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BA confirmed on Twitter my booking was cancelled yet I received an email from DHS at 3am saying my ESTA is now expired.
Have you checked in online?

I received my voucher with British Airways and used it for a trip this November as the travel ban is ending.
Neither BA, nor anyone in this forum can guarantee whether and when the travel ban is going to end.
warakorn is offline  
Old Oct 14, 2021, 5:50 am
  #2571  
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 73
Originally Posted by warakorn
Have you checked in online?



Neither BA, nor anyone in this forum can guarantee whether and when the travel ban is going to end.
I had not checked in online which is what concerned me - why was my booking still there and why was my ESTA cancelled. I’ve cancelled bookings in the past and this has not taken place.

I know BA can’t guarantee that but it said early November so I booked very late November.
leemair23 is offline  
Old Oct 14, 2021, 6:33 am
  #2572  
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Well, hopefully "it" was right then.
warakorn is offline  
Old Oct 14, 2021, 6:46 am
  #2573  
 
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 73
Originally Posted by warakorn
Well, hopefully "it" was right then.
I hope so but now I'm not sure when to apply for a new ESTA
leemair23 is offline  
Old Oct 14, 2021, 10:47 am
  #2574  
 
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Location: UK
Posts: 816
Originally Posted by leemair23
I hope so but now I'm not sure when to apply for a new ESTA
I would just wait until they announce a date to the end of the travel ban.
kilo is offline  
Old Oct 15, 2021, 1:18 am
  #2575  
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
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Originally Posted by leemair23
I hope so but now I'm not sure when to apply for a new ESTA
When you want. My wife applied yesterday for an ESTA and got it done in less than 15 minutes.
DL77 is offline  
Old Oct 15, 2021, 3:42 am
  #2576  
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 34
Originally Posted by leemair23
Thank you for this.

I do have the cancellation but I had heard from other travellers that their ESTA had been cancelled/expired if they had a booking for during the travel ban on that day. That's why I wondered if the BA booking hanging around was still 'live' as I was getting updates on the flights this morning.

I only purchased the ESTA in March 2021


The ESTA might not be related?, mine is still live and expiring early next year and Im supposedly travelling on 3rd :S

Last edited by alanjhett; Oct 15, 2021 at 4:45 am Reason: added a word
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Old Oct 15, 2021, 3:48 am
  #2577  
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Originally Posted by alanjhett
The ESTA might not be related?, mine is still live and early next year and Im supposedly travelling on 3rd :S
People who get their ESTA get cancelled, usually gets it within 72 hours before the flight. Not that far in advance.
ISTFlyer is offline  
Old Oct 15, 2021, 4:46 am
  #2578  
 
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 34
ooohh, I didnt know thats :/
alanjhett is offline  
Old Oct 15, 2021, 5:50 am
  #2579  
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
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It’s normally those that have filled in the API on their flight booking.
SirAlfonso is offline  
Old Oct 15, 2021, 5:57 am
  #2580  
 
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Telegraph reporting an expected date of 8 November.
seanmac is offline  


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