COVID Vaccinations, Replacing Country Bans, Will Be Required of Most Nonimmigrants Coming to U.S. as of November 8, 2021

October 25, 2021

The White House today issued the anticipated Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued an Order Implementing several aspects of the Proclamation.

As expected, the Proclamation and Order

• Revokes the previous country-specific restrictions on entry to the U.S.
• States that beginning on November 8, 2021, nonimmigrants coming to the U.S. must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
• All air passengers coming to the U.S., regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, must show a negative result of a COVID-19 viral test
  • Those fully vaccinated must take the test no more than 3 days prior to the flight’s departure
  • Those not fully vaccinated must take the test no more than 1 day prior to the flight’s departure
  • All air passengers will also be required to provide contact information to airlines for purposes of contact tracing.

Exceptions to the vaccine requirement include people for whom vaccination is inappropriate due to age (i.e., young children), people participating in COVID-19 vaccination clinical trials, individuals with medical contraindications, individuals from countries with limited vaccine availability (but not B-1 or B-2 visa holders), individuals granted an exception by the Director of the CDC for humanitarian or emergency reasons, members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their spouses and children, crew members, people transiting through the U.S., certain diplomats, government officials, and NATO employees, and individuals whose entry would be in the national interest as determined by the Secretary of State, Secretary of Transportation, or Secretary of Homeland Security. 

Unvaccinated visitors, if granted an exemption, will be subject to other public health precautions as established by the CDC, including testing upon entry to the U.S., self-quarantining for 7 days, self-isolating if a test comes back positive, as well as agreeing to be vaccinated if you will stay in the U.S. more than 60 days. 

The CDC in its Order listed which vaccines are acceptable for travel to the U.S., namely those approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or authorized for Emergency Use by the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as acceptable proof of vaccination.