The requirement for those entering the United States via air travel to complete COVID testing before departure has been dropped. This change is active as of Sunday, June 12th at 12:01 am Eastern Time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that this requirement is no longer necessary and will revisit this decision in 90 days. If a new COVID variant presents itself and begins to cause concern, it could be reinstated.

The Biden administration senior official stated that this change was made possible due to vaccines and treatments against COVID-19, and the CDC will continue to recommend COVID-19 testing before mandatory although it is no longer mandated by law.

On January 25th, 2021, the CDC issued an order that all air passengers arriving in the US from a foreign country must test negative for COVID-19 or provide documentation of recovery from COVID-19. This order went into effect on January 26, 2021.

On October 25th, 2021, the CDC updated this order to require that all air passengers over the age of 2 years test negative for COVID-19 within 24 hours of travel or provide documentation of recovery from COVID-19 within 90 days of travel, depending on COVID-19 vaccination status. For those who were fully vaccinated, the test must have been performed within three days of departure from the foreign country; for those not fully vaccinated, the test must have been performed within one day of departure from the foreign country.

Despite the rescission of the COVID testing requirement, noncitizen nonimmigrants are still required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the U.S.

If you have questions about international travel and how it may affect your immigration status, contact us at ILBSG. We actively follow policies to ensure our clients get the right advice and protect their immigration status.

COVID testing International flights to U.S.