Dec 3, 2021, 7:22 am
Last edit by: l etoile
10 June 2022 - The Biden administration will on Sunday end a requirement that air travelers to the U.S. undergo Covid-19 tests before departure, according to federal officials.
The testing requirement is set to end June 12 at 12:01 a.m.
CDC Order and FAQ: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
CDC Order updated 2 December 2021:
All air passengers 2 years or older with a flight departing to the US from a foreign country at or after 12:01am EST (5:01am GMT) on December 6, 2021, are required show a negative COVID-19 viral test result taken no more than 1 day before travel, or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days, before they board their flight.
What types of SARS-CoV-2 test are acceptable under the Order?
You must be tested with a viral test that could be either an antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). Examples of available NAATs for SARS-CoV-2 include but are not restricted to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), nicking enzyme amplification reaction (NEAR), and helicase-dependent amplification (HDA). The test used must be authorized for use by the relevant national authority for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the country where the test is administered. A viral test conducted for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, including DOD contractors, dependents, and other U.S. government employees, and tested by a DOD laboratory located in a foreign country also meets the requirements of the Order.
eMed (Abbot BinaxNOW, one of the approved methods) Thread on Flyertalk: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/coronavirus-travel/2048940-issues-re-emed-abbot-binaxnow-navica-tests.html
The testing requirement is set to end June 12 at 12:01 a.m.
CDC Order and FAQ: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html
CDC Order updated 2 December 2021:
- If you plan to travel internationally, you will need to get a COVID-19 viral test (regardless of vaccination status or citizenship) no more than 1 day before you travel by air into the United States. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight.
- If you recently recovered from COVID-19, you may instead travel with documentation of recovery from COVID-19 (i.e., your positive COVID-19 viral test result on a sample taken no more than 90 days before the flight’s departure from a foreign country and a letter from a licensed healthcare provider or a public health official stating that you were cleared to travel).
All air passengers 2 years or older with a flight departing to the US from a foreign country at or after 12:01am EST (5:01am GMT) on December 6, 2021, are required show a negative COVID-19 viral test result taken no more than 1 day before travel, or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days, before they board their flight.
What types of SARS-CoV-2 test are acceptable under the Order?
You must be tested with a viral test that could be either an antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). Examples of available NAATs for SARS-CoV-2 include but are not restricted to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), nicking enzyme amplification reaction (NEAR), and helicase-dependent amplification (HDA). The test used must be authorized for use by the relevant national authority for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the country where the test is administered. A viral test conducted for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, including DOD contractors, dependents, and other U.S. government employees, and tested by a DOD laboratory located in a foreign country also meets the requirements of the Order.
eMed (Abbot BinaxNOW, one of the approved methods) Thread on Flyertalk: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/coronavirus-travel/2048940-issues-re-emed-abbot-binaxnow-navica-tests.html
US to require air travelers to provide a negative test within 1 day of departure
Apr 8, 2022, 7:27 am
#796
Join Date: Oct 2018
Programs: American Life Time 2 Million Mile Platinum
Posts: 368
Apr 8, 2022, 8:12 am
#797
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 6
Is it legal to fly into Canada from abroad, such as Europe (as a fully vaccinated US citizen) and take a bus across the border from Canada to United States to avoid the predeparture test? Has anyone done or considered doing this?
Apr 8, 2022, 8:17 am
#798
Join Date: Oct 2019
Programs: OW Emerald / BAEC Gold
Posts: 474
oh, so the situation is that they must publish new regulation (or renew the existing one) or the tests and masks will be scrapped. My next trip is at the end of May and when I was in the US last time this February I was really hoping it was the last time when I was stressed with the pre-departure testing and having mask for 11 hours in plane.
Apr 8, 2022, 8:18 am
#799
Join Date: Oct 2019
Programs: OW Emerald / BAEC Gold
Posts: 474
oh also interested in this. I am traveling to YYZ in two weeks and planning to visit Buffalo and Niagara Falls. So you don't need a negative test when you are land crossing borders?
Apr 8, 2022, 8:24 am
#800
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 6
Nope, no predeparture tests needed crossing to Canada or United States via land borders. However, you do need to fill out Arrivecan to go to Canada regardless of how you enter. It's ironic - I'm triple vaccinated, I will wear a mask without complaint, and I would gladly test myself once I'm back home after my trip - but no, I have to take a test abroad and in the chance I'm positive have to quarantine there for 10 days. It's incredibly frustrating. I know going via Canada is a "loophole" but it seems perfectly feasible?! I'm hoping they will cut the test requirement soon due to these things. You can do this same thing crossing the land border with Mexico and you don't need a test to enter the US off a boat. It's crazy.
Apr 8, 2022, 9:13 am
#801
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 286
oh, so the situation is that they must publish new regulation (or renew the existing one) or the tests and masks will be scrapped. My next trip is at the end of May and when I was in the US last time this February I was really hoping it was the last time when I was stressed with the pre-departure testing and having mask for 11 hours in plane.
Testing requirement to enter the US via air is completely separate and has no end date in the regulations. It will only end when new regulations are put out ending it. Some people were conflating the two, hoping that the April 18 end of the mask mandate would spur the US government to remove the testing requirement in tandem. But they are in no way legally linked.
Apr 8, 2022, 10:05 am
#802
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 1,610
Is this true for both mask *and* international test? That is, do both need an affirmative extension by the government each time or is the international test requirement more like "its in force till we say otherwise".
Apr 8, 2022, 10:12 am
#803
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: Hilton Diamond Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,181
Masks will be ended without an extension. Testing will continue until it’s repealed
Apr 8, 2022, 10:34 am
#805
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Bham, AL
Programs: Marriott Gold, AmEx Plat, Agnostic on Airline Programs
Posts: 394
I had hoped they would repeal, but the NYT had a story that the NE has recorded a 60% case increase in new variant cases since end of March. Meet the next reason for more required mask time. Sigh.
Apr 8, 2022, 10:37 am
#806
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: CA, FL, and China.
Programs: UA1K (no longer serviced!), Bonvoy P, Hyatt G
Posts: 704
I'll make an assumption
No test just vaccine over land
- Person is a Chinese citizen with a visa to enter the US and is not a permanent resident of the US
- Fly to Canada
- Canada gives vaccines to everyone including noncitizens https://www.canada.ca/en/public-heal...inated.html#a2
- Get J&J vaccine (or others if you have more time)
- Wait 2 weeks
- Fly to the USA (with test) or cross land border (without test)
- A US visa can be substituted for several other countries such as Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Panama, Peru, or Uruguay.
- Figure out if one of these countries vaccinates tourists.
- Repeat steps in Option 1
- This may also be possible if they qualify under the Come2hk/Return2hk quarantine exemption for Hong Kong
No test just vaccine over land
Canada offers JJ for sure? Any idea if Mexico offers JJ? She does not have a visa for Canada but Mexico would be fine.
Really hope the government can drop the vax requirement because we all know that someone who took a JJ vax over a year ago has zero protection but is regarded as “vaccinated.”
Apr 8, 2022, 11:48 am
#807
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 6
So has any American flown from USA - foreign country - Canada - drive to USA without any problems? I'm concerned that the airport/border may suspect I'm trying to circumvent the test and give me a hard time. Of course, I guess worst case scenario is that I'm given a covid test in that case.
Apr 8, 2022, 12:00 pm
#808
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, Radisson Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 3,623
So has any American flown from USA - foreign country - Canada - drive to USA without any problems? I'm concerned that the airport/border may suspect I'm trying to circumvent the test and give me a hard time. Of course, I guess worst case scenario is that I'm given a covid test in that case.
If Canada lets you in without a test, they probably won't care that you are there to avoid testing before entering the USA.
And if you're American, CBP officers at the border won't care if you're vaccinated/tested. If they ask "Why did you fly to Toronto" you could say "Because I didn't want to do a COVID test" and you could add "... because I have COVID" and CBP will just let you in and lt you go on your way, even if you are feverish, coughing, etc.
Apr 8, 2022, 12:16 pm
#809
Join Date: Mar 2022
Posts: 6
Who are you worried will give you a hard time? Canada or American CBP officers at the border?
If Canada lets you in without a test, they probably won't care that you are there to avoid testing before entering the USA.
And if you're American, CBP officers at the border won't care if you're vaccinated/tested. If they ask "Why did you fly to Toronto" you could say "Because I didn't want to do a COVID test" and you could add "... because I have COVID" and CBP will just let you in and lt you go on your way, even if you are feverish, coughing, etc.
If Canada lets you in without a test, they probably won't care that you are there to avoid testing before entering the USA.
And if you're American, CBP officers at the border won't care if you're vaccinated/tested. If they ask "Why did you fly to Toronto" you could say "Because I didn't want to do a COVID test" and you could add "... because I have COVID" and CBP will just let you in and lt you go on your way, even if you are feverish, coughing, etc.
Apr 8, 2022, 12:21 pm
#810
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: USA
Programs: American Airlines (Executive Platinum), Hyatt (Globalist), Hilton (Diamond), IHG (Diamond)
Posts: 2,917
I was kind of concerned the airline or the officers at the border may see the transit as suspicious. Obviously if I fly out of the US to a foreign country and then back to Canada and bus to the US it probably looks like I'm trying to avoid the prearrival testing. However, it seems almost too easy of a way to do it - it's not too inconvenient for me to transit this way.