White House Lifts Location-Based Travel Bans Starting in Early November 2021 for Fully Vaccinated Foreign Travelers Arriving by Air

Category: COVID-19 Legal Resource Guide
Date: Sept. 21, 2021
Title: White House Lifts Location-Based Travel Bans Starting in Early November 2021 for Fully Vaccinated Foreign Travelers Arriving by Air

In a long-awaited turn of events, the White House has announced that effective in early November 2021, the travel ban on entry of foreign nationals arriving from the Schengen Area countries in Europe and from the United Kingdom, Ireland, China, Iran, Brazil, South Africa and India will be lifted for those foreign travelers who are fully vaccinated and submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of their travel to the United States. As a result, travelers who were physically present in these countries will no longer be required to obtain a national interest exception (NIE) before entering the United States. Citing increased vaccination rates and the fact that almost 6 billion vaccinations have been administered globally, the Biden administration stated it will require adult foreign nationals arriving by air to provide proof they are fully vaccinated prior to boarding a plane (with very limited exceptions for children, clinical trial participants and compelling humanitarian reasons). In an effort to implement strict COVID-19 prevention protocols for all individuals, the administration will also require unvaccinated U.S. citizens and residents to be tested within one day of boarding a plane and to prove they have purchased a viral kit to be taken after arrival in the United States. The administration has not yet provided precise details such as the exact effective date, which vaccines are acceptable or a list of permissible forms of proof of vaccination. The measure does not affect current restrictions at land borders, which will remain in place until at least Oct. 21, 2021.

The requirement to produce proof of a negative COVID-19 test for all passengers arriving in the United States from international flights (including U.S. citizens and residents) remains in force.

The CDC will also be issuing additional prevention measures, including pre-departure and post-arrival testing as well as a Contact Tracing Order implementing a number of precautionary measures such as requiring arriving travelers to provide their email addresses and cellphone numbers.