Travelinangel

Don't worry! The CDC language is very clear that a negative test OR proof of recovery is required, not both. In any case, the UK doesn't want to keep you, and the US will not refuse entry to a US citizen. CPB is not an issue. The only issue is the airline allowing you to board, for which the doctor's letter should be sufficient. I would print out the CDC requirements, just in case.

Also, the standardized language on US Embassy websites is somewhat clearer. COVID-19 Information | U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the United Kingdom (usembassy.gov) Note that the doctor's note of recovery is only acceptable if you had Covid19 within the last 90 days.

snuffi

I'm very interested in experiences of this as I'm off to the usa next month. I've just had covid and my UK NHS app now produces a third QR code (in action to the 2 vaccines codes) called 'proof of recovery.from covid'. Will this allow me to board the plane at Heathrow? Has anyone done this? US Cit so I'm confident of being let in at the other end.

EDIT: I suppose that right now there are probably only a very limited number of dual citizen travellers who might have the UK NHS app, have caught covid, and have been to America, so perhaps after November 8th we might have a bigger sample size that can report back!

LWkitty

I will chime in with my personal experience in this matter; take it as you will.

I was in a similar situation: US citizen, had Covid in March, traveled to Mexico in May. Despite a Covid antigen test being provided free by the resort, I opted not to take the test, and brought with me copies of my positive Covid test and a letter of recovery from my doctor. I decided that the risk of being one of the rare people who continue to test positive 90 days after recovery and having a positive test result in the Mexican health system, thereby stranding me in Mexico for an undetermined period of time was greater than the risk of my getting an airline check in agent who didn't understand the CDC rules and/or wanted to make up their own that didn't include the documented recovery option.

As it turned out, I had no trouble when checking in for my flight. They accepted my paperwork with no issues. I did have to show everything at check in, though. The VeriFly app would only accept a negative test result QR code. Just something to note.

snuffi

Many Thanks - my doctor will not write me a letter, the only thing that I can rely upon is the UK National Health Service which can provide me a document that shows I have recovered from COVID and is extremely official. It should mean something to UK airline check-in staff, but it is not something that has been signed by a healthcare provider as stated in the CDC guidance. At the moment I am pinning my hopes on sufficient numbers of UK citizens using the NHS app after 8th of November that the "Proof of Recovery" QR code becomes a recognised "thing". My alternative is to cross my fingers and take an antigen test.

Normcutts

Just wondering if anyone has had any luck using the nhs app generated document or getting a letter from their gp to cover the ‘documentation of recovery’? Thanks!

snuffi

I am now in possession of an official letter from an official healthcare provider saying that I have recovered and am fit to travel - the in-house GP service at my place of work were good enough to do this for me, my NHS GP simply said they wouldn't do it. I am flying on Wednesday and intend to use this letter and my NHS proof of recovery QR code to be allowed to fly from Heathrow. I will let you know how I get on. British Airways keep trying to make me use the Verifly App, but this is absolutely useless in any circumstance other than a negative test result, so I will be doing all of this the old fashioned way at a check-in desk. The BA website also steadfastly refuses to acknowledge my API despite me having entered all of it, so the whole experience is shaping up to be a lot of fun. And then chuck in Omicron, which probably won't change my outbound but has plenty of scope to muck up my inbound in two weeks.

Normcutts

Thanks for your reply and feedback. Interested to hear how you get on, crossing my fingers for you! Dont worry too much about the return bit, just enjoy the holiday for now!

timfountain

I've just recovered from my 2nd round with COVID (first was almost exactly a year ago). I note that the CDC allows recovered travelers to skip getting a test when returning to the US, up to 90 days after recovery. I believe this is due to the fact that post-COVID travelers can still test positive for a period of time after infection, and the last thing I want it to be stuck and isolating in a foreign country due to a false positive test!

I'm planning on asking my doctor to provide such a note and am looking for two pieces of information. Firstly, can anyone comment on whether the letter was accepted without issue? Secondly, can anyone point to a sample letter or what exactly should be in the letter? I want to ensure I don't have to go back around due to an omission. I will be travelling outside the USA in January, so this is not just a theoretical question. Thanks in advance.

A Little Cow

The wording on the CDC website is this
"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)."
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...travelers.html

I imagine the "main" thing that will be looked at is your positive result from not more than 90 days before the flight. Lower down on the page in the FAQ they give more specific guidance for what the letter should include:

"A letter from your healthcare provider or a public health official that clears you to end isolation, e.g., to return to work or school, can be used to show you are cleared to travel, even if travel isn’t specifically mentioned in the letter. The letter must have information that identifies you personally (e.g., name and date of birth) that matches the personal identifiers on your passport or other travel documents. The letter must be signed and dated on official letterhead that contains the name, address, and phone number of the healthcare provider or public health official who signed the letter."

inthemix

Is the UK still accepting these recovery letters too for transit purposes? We have Covid now but will have our recovery letter in time for the flight.

MSPeconomist

Where are you going? Unless it's Mexico or a couple other countries that don't require a negative test, shouldn't you worry about whether the documented recovery will be enough to enable you to baord the exUSA flight, transit if applicable, and enter the country of your destination?

chrisny2

Here's the example I posted of my recovery letter. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33021002-post717.html I presented it with the positive COVID lab test to check in with American Airlines in SJD and had no issues.

catwood

My friend gus showed his in a video he made going back from Egypt:

Definitas

We are travelling with adult kids LHR-MIA in early March. The kids both currently have Covid so we are going to have to decide on either a recovery certificate or risking a lateral flow (rapid antigen) test for US entry in just over 60 days. Looking at adverts for the provision of recovery certificates, they seem to cost double the cost of a PCR. Does anyone have experience of using a recovery certificate for entry to the US? Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced certificate?

fruitcage

I can’t see the risk in using lateral flow tests?

Also it seems highly likely that the entry requirements will change one way or another before you travel, so I would wait.