Oct 15, 2021
- Today, the Biden administration is announcing that its new travel policy that requires vaccination for foreign national travelers to enter the United States will begin on November 8. This announcement applies to both international air travel and travel across the Southwest and Northern land borders with Mexico and Canada. This puts in place a consistent and stringent global international travel policy that is guided by public health.
What this Means for Air Travel: Beginning November 8, foreign national air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of their vaccination status to fly to the United States. Fully vaccinated travelers will continue to be required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within three days of travel prior to boarding.
What this Means for Travel across the Land Borders: Also beginning November 8, foreign nationals crossing the land borders with Canada and Mexico or arriving in the United States by passenger ferry for non-essential reasons, such as to visit friends or family or for tourism, will be required to be fully vaccinated. These travelers are required to be prepared to attest to vaccination status and to present proof of vaccination to a CBP officer upon request. By January, foreign nationals traveling across the land border for both essential and non-essential reasons will be required to be fully vaccinated.
What's Next: Further guidance on the very limited exceptions to these vaccination requirements, what will be acceptable proof of vaccination, and other operational details are forthcoming from CDC and other federal agencies, as applicable, well in advance of November 8 to enable preparation for a smooth transition to the new system. CDC has already informed airlines that all FDA approved and authorized vaccines, as well as all vaccines that have an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the WHO will be accepted for air travel. We anticipate the same will be true at the land border.
This is a long-awaited development and much welcomed news, vital to the continued recovery for all segments of our industry. We will continue to keep you apprised as more information becomes available.
Sincerely,
Tori Barnes
Executive Vice President, Public Affairs and Policy
U.S. Travel Association
