(Proof of coronavirus vaccination is no longer required to enter the US)
Proof of full vaccination against coronavirus will be required for international travelers to enter the United States beginning in November 2021. In most cases, unvaccinated foreigners will be barred from entering the United States. In this post, we provide some clarification about vaccination certificates and their use when traveling to America by plane. In preparing the material, we used the guidelines of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
To whom it concerns
Vaccination requirements for entry into the United States apply to:all foreigners, coming for any purpose of travel, except in the cases below. There are no exceptions for believers and people with moral convictions.
Does not apply:
- US citizens and foreigners — residents of this country,
- foreigners under 18 years of age,
- citizens of countries with low levels of access to vaccines. The list of such countries is updated every 3 months (the list is no longer relevant). You must be a citizen and not a resident of such a country, but entry into the United States on a B1/B2 visa is not possible,
- those who have medical contraindications against the use of the vaccine,
- diplomats, officials, military, crew members, etc. (visas A, C, D, E, G).
Unvaccinated mom — foreign woman with a child — A US citizen is not allowed to enter the US. Even if a foreigner has proof that he has had coronavirus, he still needs proof of vaccination to enter the United States.
Vaccination requirements for entry via land border are somewhat different, however, you should usually be vaccinated in this case as well.
Vaccines taken
The United States currently only accepts the following vaccines:
- Pfizer-BioNTech
- Moderna / Spikevax
- Janssen, Johnson & Johnson
- Nuvaxovid / Novavax
- Covovax
- Covishield
- Bharat Biotech
- CoronaVac / Sinovac
- Sinopharm
- Convidecia / CanSinoBIO
- Medicago
Over time, the list of approved vaccines may be expanded. Stay tuned.
«mixed» vaccination — use of the first and second doses of different vaccines, if these doses were administered at least 17 days apart.
Entry with incomplete vaccination is not allowed — using only one dose of a vaccine that requires two doses.
Vaccination certificate
The CDC divides all proof of vaccination into two types, both are accepted:
- verifiable — with a QR code that allows you to verify the authenticity of the certificate.
- unverifiable — certificates issued by a government agency of the issuing country (not necessarily nationality) or vaccine provider.
The certificate can be digital (on an electronic device) or paper.
The certificate must contain the following information:
- first name, last name and date of birth as in the passport,
- name of the organization that issued the certificate,
- name of the vaccine,
- date(s) of vaccination.
Certificate language — English or any other language accepted by the airline when boarding a flight to the USA, in particular in the national language. It is the airlines that are responsible for verifying the certificate. Therefore, if you plan to fly into the US multiple times from different countries that speak different languages, it is advisable to have a certificate in English.
Example: Digital government vaccination certificate in Mexico, in Spanish and English.
How to count 14 days
Entry into the United States is permitted 14 full days after completion of vaccination. For example, if the last dose of the vaccine was administered on the 1st, you will be able to enter the United States no earlier than the 15th.
Upon entry, in addition, you must fill out and sign a statement stating that the materials provided about vaccination and health status are reliable.
In addition, check out othersrequirementsfor entry into the United States related to coronavirus.