Biden Administration Rescinds Travel Bans and Releases Additional Details on New COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Requirements for International Air Travel

On October 25, 2021, the Biden Administration published a fact sheet on the White House website detailing the implementation of its new international air travel policy requiring foreign national travelers to the United States to be fully vaccinated. This new policy will replace current Presidential Proclamations restricting travel from certain countries/areas. Beginning on November 8th, all nonimmigrant foreign national travelers, with few exceptions, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination to fly to the United States. U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents, and certain nonimmigrant foreign nationals are exempt from the vaccination requirement but must take a COVID-19 test within one day of departure.

Children under the age of 18 are exempt from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement, but unvaccinated children between the ages of 2 and 17 are required to take a COVID-19 test prior to departure. Unvaccinated children travelling with a fully vaccinated adult can take a test within 3 days of departure, but unvaccinated children traveling alone or with an unvaccinated adult will have to take a COVID test within one day of departure. Only a very limited number of adult foreign nationals will be exempt from the vaccination requirement.

Please see our news blast on November 1, 2021, for additional information on this new policy.