Good news for non-citizen & non-immigrant air travelers to the United States, w.e.f from 8th November 2021, they will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination status prior to boarding the flight to the U.S., with only limited exceptions.
The updated travel guidelines also include new protocols around testing. To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travelers – whether U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or the small number of excepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to test within one day of departure.
In Summary, herein below;
| Nationality | Nationality | Nationality |
| Non-US/Non-Immigrant (Visitors) | Must be fully vaccinated! | Negative PCR -Within 72HRS prior to arrival. |
| Americans/LPR’s (Legal permanent resident) | Vaccinated | Negative PCR/Antigen-72hrs from sample collection. |
| Americans/LPR’s | Unvaccinated | Negative PCR/Antigen Within 24hrs. |
USA ACCEPTED COVID-19 VACCINES:
| Vaccines Listed for Emergency Use (EUL) by the World Health Organization (W.H.O) | Vaccines Listed for Emergency Use (EUL) by the World Health Organization (W.H.O) | |
| Single Dose |  Janssen/J&J | Janssen/J&J |
| 2-Dose Series | Pfizer-BioNTech Moderna | Pfizer BioNTechModerna AstraZeneca CovaxinCovishield BIBP/SinopharmSinovac |
BIG Q??
ARE YOU FULLY VACCINATED FOR AIR TRAVEL TO THE UNITED STATES?
You are considered fully vaccinated:
- 2 weeks (14 days) after your dose of an accepted single-dose vaccine
- 2 weeks (14 days) after your second dose of an accepted 2-dose series
- 2 weeks (14 days) after you received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 (not placebo) in a clinical trial
- 2 weeks (14 days) after you received the full series of a Novavax (or Covavax) COVID-19 vaccine (not placebo) in a phase 3 clinical trial
- 2 weeks (14 days) after you received 2 doses of any “mix-and-match” combination of accepted COVID-19 vaccines administered at least 17 days apart*
NB: If you don’t meet above requirements, then you are NOT considered fully vaccinated
*CDC has not recommended the use of mix-and-match COVID-19 vaccine primary series. However, such strategies are increasingly common in many countries outside of the United States. Therefore, for purpose of interpreting vaccination records for travel to the United States, CDC will accept combination of accepted COVID-19 vaccines.
ACCEPTABLE PROOF OF COVID-19 VACCINATION:
| Documentation Type | Examples |
| Verifiable records (digital or paper) | Vaccination certificate with QR code**, digital pass via Smartphone application with QR Code** (e.g., United Kingdom National Health Service COVID Pass, European Union Digital COVID Certificate) |
| Non-verifiable paper records | Printout of vaccination record or a COVID-19 vaccination certificate issued at national or subnational level or by an authorized vaccine provider (e.g., the CDC vaccination card) |
| Non-verifiable digital records | Digital photos of vaccination card or record, downloaded vaccine record or vaccination certificate from official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency, or other authorized vaccine provider), or a mobile phone application without QR code |
**The QR code in a verifiable vaccination record links to information confirming the credential was generated from an immunization record in an official database and is protected from tampering
Should you require further clarifications, kindly feel free to contact our champions in Travel Desk, they are on standby at your service round the clock!
