New travel rules will take effect for foreign nationals arriving by land or passenger ferry.
Starting Nov. 8, fully vaccinated foreign nationals can cross the land borders for nonessential reasons such as tourism or visiting friends and family. Entry rules along the border will change again in early January, with all travelers – including those traveling for essential purposes – required to show proof of full vaccination.
Foreign travelers will be able to show vaccination status in either a paper or digital format, and U.S. Customers and Border Protection will spot-check travelers’ vaccination documents. Foreign nationals will also need appropriate travel documentation to enter the country.
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Which vaccines does the US accept for travel?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that vaccines approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and World Health Organization will be accepted for air travel. White House officials expect the CDC to approve the same vaccines for travelers entering the U.S. by land or ferry.
The FDA has authorized three COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use during the pandemic: Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer-BioNTech, the last of which has received the FDA’s full stamp of approval.
Vaccines with WHO approval include:
- Johnson & Johnson
- Moderna
- Pfizer-BioNTech
- Oxford-AstraZeneca/Covishield
- Sinopharm
- Sinovac
The CDC confirmed Friday that it would accept a mix-and-match approach to vaccinations. Travelers who have any combination of FDA- or WHO-approved vaccines will be considered fully vaccinated.
The agency has yet to release information on how U.S. citizens who are foreign residents with vaccines not yet approved by WHO can enter the U.S.
Additionally, U.S. officials have not given any indication that proof of recovery from COVID-19 can be used in lieu of proof of vaccination.
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How do the new rules affect kids?
Children will generally be exempt from the vaccine requirements, a White House official not authorized to speak on the record told USA TODAY.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last month that unvaccinated children of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals would be subject to the stricter new testing requirements.
Currently, all air passengers 2 or older, including U.S. citizens and permanent residents, need to show a negative coronavirus test to fly to the U.S.
What are the entry requirements for Americans?
The new travel system adds more stringent testing requirements for unvaccinated U.S. travelers.
Starting Nov. 8, unvaccinated Americans will need to take a test one day before departure and test again upon arrival in the U.S.
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Entry requirements will not change for vaccinated Americans. They will still need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken no more than three days before departure.
Americans will not need to be fully vaccinated to board international flights to the U.S.
Source: USA Today