Biden Administration to End COVID-19 Travel Bans, Require Proof of Vaccination

By: Jacqueline Valle 

On November 8, 2021, the United States plans to end its COVID-19 travel ban on travelers from certain countries with high infection rates. The US will reopen to fully vaccinated air travelers from all countries.

Foreign nationals traveling for nonessential purposes across the US-Mexico and US-Canada land and ferry borders must also show proof of vaccination as of the November 8 deadline. Essential travelers will not have to show proof of vaccination to cross these borders until January 2022.

Currently, travelers are banned from entering the United States if they have been present in countries with high rates of COVID-19 during the previous 14 days, and if they are not US citizens or green card holders. These countries include European Schengen area countries, the United Kingdom, China, Iran, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, and India.

Now the United States will require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for all international travelers entering the United States, along with proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days prior to boarding their flight to the US. There will be limited exceptions available to this policy for children who are too young to get vaccinated, individuals participating in COVID-19 vaccine trials, and certain individuals facing humanitarian concerns. The White House will release more information regarding which vaccines will be accepted before November 8, 2021.

Additional United States air travel requirements will include:

• Continuing the mask mandate through January 18, 2022.
• Expanding testing requirements prior to departure and post-arrival.
• Requiring contact tracing for airlines.

Conclusion

For case-specific questions on how this new policy impacts your travel, please contact your Chugh, LLP immigration professional. Our team will closely monitor the development of this policy and release updates when they are available.