Here’s Who Can Now Travel in the United States Abroad
Two recent changes to travel rules mean that people can now visit the United States for nonessential reasons, even if they are not citizens. Both policies went into effect on November 8 (and if you want to have a good cry, watch any video of family reunification after a nearly two-year breakup).
The first major change is that the US will no longer decide who can enter based on which country it comes from . Instead, the White House said in a statement that the administration “will adopt an air travel policy that will rely primarily on vaccinations to facilitate the safe resumption of international air travel to the United States.” The order means that people will no longer be denied entry depending on the country, but they may be denied entry due to not being vaccinated.
A second major change extends the same policy to land borders with Mexico and Canada and to ferry services . Until recently, these borders were closed to non-citizens if they entered for nonessential reasons such as tourism or visiting family and friends.
Who can come and how?
The rules get a little complicated, but the CDC has a flowchart and quiz to help you figure out which category you fall into . In most cases, if you are fully vaccinated, you are fine.
US citizens, US citizens, legal permanent residents, and immigrants do not need the vaccine to enter the country, but they do need to test negative for the virus within one day of leaving. If you are vaccinated, you will still need a negative test, but this can be done at any time within three days prior to departure.
If you do not fall into these categories (that is, you are living in another country and visiting the United States, rather than returning home), you need to get a full vaccination if you are over 18 years old. There are a few exceptions to the rule, including humans. who cannot get vaccinated due to documented health conditions; and people with certain visas who travel from countries where COVID-19 vaccines are not widely available. The CDC has a list of good reasons for exceptions and additional rules that may apply (for example, you may need to self-quarantine on arrival and get vaccinated if you are in the country for 60 days).
Does it matter which vaccine you have?
Currently, only three COVID vaccines are allowed in the US. If you have received a full series of any of these shots (one from J&J, two from Moderna or Pfizer) and two weeks have passed since your last dose, you are considered fully vaccinated. (It doesn’t matter to this rule whether you received the third dose or the booster; the first two shots are sufficient.)
Other countries have different vaccines, so you are also considered fully vaccinated 14 days after completing a World Health Organization-listed COVID-19 vaccination series. This includes AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Covishield, Sinopharm, and Sinovac ( complete list here ).
If you are in the third phase of clinical trials for Novavax or Kovavax and you know you received a vaccine ( not a placebo), that also matters. And if combination vaccines are used in your country, you will be considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the second dose if the difference between doses is at least 17 days.