The day that the US opens to vaccinated travel is approaching, and on Monday the 25th of October, US president, Joe Biden, announced more details on the US travel requirements that we can expect on November 8th.
Moving away from the “country-by-country” approach to Covid restrictions that the US adopted previously, Biden stated that from 12:01 am on November 8th, the restrictions would instead be conducted through the airlines and will be focused predominantly on vaccination status. Taking this approach means that these rules will apply to all international travellers, entry will instead be dictated based on whether a traveller is fully vaccinated with a vaccine programme approved by the Worth Health Organisation (WHO).
Though there were previously some concerns surrounding whether the Astra-Zeneca vaccine would be accepted for entry to the US, it has now been confirmed that this vaccine will be recognised since it is approved by the WHO (you can keep up to date on the details of US travel requirements in the Foreign Travel Advice page).
What Are the US Travel Requirements?
The US travel requirements for vaccination status following November 8th are as follows:
- All travellers 18 or over must be fully vaccinated through a vaccine programme approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- Travellers under the age of 18, or those with medical reasons, are exempt from vaccination requirements.
- The final dose of the vaccine must have been administered at least 14 days before travel, proof of this must be provided to the airline.
- The US will accept a printed letter from the NHS as proof of vaccination status. It is still to be determined whether this extends to the NHS digital certificate (Biden stated that digital certificates would be accepted under certain conditions).
The US travel requirements for testing following November 8th are as follows:
- All travellers 2-years-old and above must provide proof of a negative covid test taken within 72 hours of departure.
- Alternatively, travellers can provide proof of recovery from Covid-19 within the past 3 months instead of proof of a negative test.
All of these requirements will be conducted through the airlines, who will also record some of the traveller’s details for contact tracking to monitor Covid levels efficiently.
Though we anticipate some following clarification on the use of the NHS digital certificate for proof of vaccination, getting these further details is fantastic news. The ability to travel to the US is not just awesome for those looking for a great holiday but allows some to see family and friends again for the first time in over a year.
Many travel businesses are also excited about this news on the US travel requirements, opening up a huge avenue for travel that we haven’t been able to access for the duration of the pandemic.
So, if you’re looking forward to booking a wonderful holiday, don’t forget to get in contact with a travel business registered with PTS, providing 100% financial protection through trust. Or, if you’d like assistance choosing one of the lovely PTS members to book with, you can contact PTS directly at 0207 190 9988.
And if you’d like to learn more about your consumer protection with PTS or how the Package Travel Regulations protect your holiday booking, check out our pages.
