On October 15, the Biden administration announced that it will rescind COVID-19 related travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers on Monday, November 8, 2021. The restrictions, which were instituted under the Trump administration and expanded by President Biden, have been in effect for most of the pandemic and limited nonessential travel from the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Europe’s 26 Schengen Zone countries, Brazil, China, India, Iran, and South Africa. The news follows a recent announcement that the U.S. land borders between Canada and Mexico will also reopen for fully vaccinated travelers.
While the White House has yet to issue full guidance for travelers wishing to enter the U.S. following the end of the travel bans on November 8, it has made clear that full vaccination and testing will be required. Acceptable vaccines include those approved by CDC and WHO, such as Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Sincovac, and Covishield.
Fully vaccinated international travelers entering the U.S. via air after November 8 will also be required to present a negative Covid-19 test administered within 72 hours of departure. At time of writing, no quarantine policy has been issued.
We will be monitoring all developments related to the travel bans, and additional guidance from the administration is expected to be released prior to November 8. If you are planning travel in the near future, please contact us.