In the era of the coronavirus epidemic, the United States has determined new entry rules for foreigners and citizens of this power. Two main requirements — a foreigner is required to be fully vaccinated and provide a negative coronavirus test result (the test is not needed after 06/12/2022). Unvaccinated foreigners are not allowed to enter. The expiration date requirements for a coronavirus test depend on your vaccination status.
Who can move in
- Non-residents vaccinated with approved vaccines
- US citizens and residents
- Citizens of countries where the vaccination rate is less than 10% due to vaccine shortages, only for a verified essential purpose of travel (not tourism). Now the list of such countries includes about 50 states, the list is constantly updated.
Vaccination
When boarding a flight into the United States or crossing a land or sea border, foreign nationals are required to show proof of full vaccination with one of the following vaccines:
- Pfizer-BioNTech
- Moderna / Spikevax
- Janssen, Johnson & Johnson
- Nuvaxovid / Novavax
- Covovax
- Covishield
- Bharat Biotech
- CoronaVac / Sinovac
- Sinopharm
- Convidecia / CanSinoBIO
- Medicago
The use of vaccines undergoing clinical trials in the United States, but not yet approved, is allowed, in particular, the new AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines. It is acceptable to use the first and second doses of different vaccines if the doses were administered at least 17 days apart.
Vaccination (final dose) must be completed at least 14 days before entry into the United States. Airlines will not allow you to board the plane without proof of vaccination.
A vaccination certificate is not required:
- for children under 18 years old,
- for US citizens and residents.
- for passengers from countries with low access to vaccines.
At the same time, the lack of proof of vaccination means stricter pre-testing periods before boarding a flight.
Learn more about proof of vaccination when entering the United States —Here
Test for coronavirus
(testing before entering the US has been completely canceled as of 06/12/2022)
When boarding a plane, you must provide a negative coronavirus test result:
- antigen test, or
- Real-time PCR test, or
- quick test using RT-LAMP, TMA, NEAR or HDA methods.
The test requirement applies to both foreigners and Americans. For US citizens, self-testing using a telemedicine service is acceptable.
Expiration date of the test before boarding a flight to the USA:
- 1 day for all passengers without exception
For unvaccinated children aged 2-17 years, you should also provide a test done the day before the flight.
The test expiration date is stated in days, not hours, and does not depend on the time of flight or the time of day when the sample was collected for testing. For example, if a flight departs at 1:00 pm on a Friday, you are allowed to offer a test result that was taken any time on the previous Thursday.
If a US itinerary includes one or more connecting flights on a single ticket, the test expires at the time of check-in for the first flight. In case of delay of a direct flight to the USA due to the fault of the airline, the validity period of the test can be extended by 24 hours, connecting flights — for 48 hours.
The requirements for submitting test results are standard: the original in paper or electronic form containing a QR code. «Verifiable» The test should include materials identifying the passenger, date and time of sample collection, type of test, result and laboratory details. Test language — English or any other that is accepted by a particular airline.
The following are exempt from having a test:
- children under 2 years old,
- passengers with medical contraindications.
Proof of recovery
Instead of a test, you can give evidence of recovery:
- a positive antibody test result, and
- a conclusion from the attending physician that the passenger is allowed to travel.
Proof of recovery is valid for a maximum of 90 days prior to entry into the United States.
Entry by land
Vaccinated travelers can enter the United States from Canada and Mexico for any purpose, including travel. When crossing the border while going through passport control:
- offer a vaccination certificate,
- No coronavirus test is needed.
The following are exempt from the requirement to have proof of vaccination when entering by land:
- children under 18 years old,
- US citizens and residents
- foreign nationals who travel to the United States for the essential purpose of travel. From January 2022, proof of vaccination will also be mandatory for them.
Entry from a number of countries
The ban on entry into the United States from the following countries is lifted:
- Schengen area: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican,
- United Kingdom,
- Ireland,
- China,
- India,
- Iran,
- Brazil,
- South Africa.
Contact tracing
Airlines are required to collect contact information from passengers, including their location in the United States upon entry.
Before boarding, air passengers will be required to fill out a special certificate form confirming that the information they provided about their vaccination status and absence of coronavirus is correct.
The above criteria also apply to entry into US overseas territories:
- American Samoa,
- Guam,
- Northern Mariana Islands,
- Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
- US Virgin Islands.
(updated: 06/10/2022)