Do I Need to be Fully Vaccinated with the Covid-19 Vaccine to Travel to the US by Plane?

Learn what international travelers need in order to board a flight to the United States if they are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Do I Need to be Fully Vaccinated with the Covid-19 Vaccine to Travel to the US by Plane?

If you are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you will not be allowed to board a flight to the United States, unless you meet the requirements for an exception under the CDC Proclamation and Amended Order. A booster dose is not needed to meet this requirement. This page is for all international travelers, including U. S.

lawful permanent residents, immigrants, and non-U. individuals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a tool to help travelers learn about the requirements to board a flight to the United States. All air passengers bound for the United States must provide contact information to airlines before boarding flights to the United States.

If you are not fully vaccinated and are allowed to travel to the United States by air through an exception, you will be required to sign a certification (legal statement) before boarding your flight to the United States stating that you comply with the exception. Depending on the type of exception, you may also need to indicate that you have taken certain protective measures. For more information, see COVID-19 Vaccination Proof Requirement for Air Passengers.Immigrants who are not fully vaccinated and are not allowed to travel to the United States by air through an exception must meet the certification requirements they signed before boarding their flight. For more information, see COVID-19 Vaccination Proof Requirement for Air Passengers.Citizens who qualify for a medical exception must contact Special Assistance at least 72 hours before departure for approval.

You must also submit a signed doctor's note confirming your medical contraindication to the vaccine.All travelers must provide their contact information within 72 hours of departure and foreign citizens must sign a certificate attesting that they meet U. requirements. If you are not an American citizen, you must also have proof of COVID-19 vaccination to fly, unless you qualify for an exception.Sign and complete your online certification form before your trip. If you can't complete the certification form online, print it out and take it to the airport to save time.The CDC continues to recommend that people wear a face mask in indoor public transportation environments, but it is not mandatory for them to wear one at airports or on flights, unless an individual jurisdiction requires these requirements.Unvaccinated young people between the ages of 12 and 17 must meet all testing and quarantine requirements, regardless of whether or not they are accompanied by a person who meets the requirements for the fully vaccinated traveler exemption.As previously announced, fully vaccinated foreign citizens will also be able to travel across the northern and southwestern land borders for non-essential reasons, such as tourism, starting November 8.Children under 18 are exempt from the vaccination requirement for foreign travelers, due to both the ineligibility of some younger children and the global variability in access to vaccination for older children who qualify for vaccination.You can keep the full value of your original ticket, but you'll have to pay the difference in fare if your new flight is more expensive.

If your new flight is less expensive, you'll get the difference in fare in the form of travel credit to use on a future trip. Travelers can find all the details about today's air travel announcement on the CDC and State Department websites. According to the CDC, vaccines continue to be the most effective public health measure to protect people from serious illness or death due to COVID-19, delay the transmission of COVID-19 and reduce the likelihood of new variants of COVID-19 emerging. A government official at the point of entry has the discretionary power to determine whether an individual meets all applicable requirements.

Karl Hauze
Karl Hauze

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