US travel restrictions – what you need to know before visiting the USA
Are you planning to travel to the USA? You must be wondering about the US travel restrictions. Before traveling to any country, we should check the travel guidelines because each country follows separate regulations. However, the pandemic has made things complicated.
How the pandemic affected international traveling
The pandemic was an unprecedented experience for all of us. In January 2020, we first learned about the deadly coronavirus. WHO issued a global health emergency, and most countries started imposing restrictions on ways to curb the infection. The USA was no exception. Like other countries, it also banned travel for its citizens and tourists. The Centers for Disease and Prevention, or CDC, issued the bans in accordance with the WHO guidelines. On March 13th, it imposed a travel ban on non-Americans from 26 European countries.
Other countries also followed suit, and international travel came to a halt.
Relaxing travel bans in the USA
From the second half of 2021, most countries started easing travel bans. Initially, traveling was allowed with negative RTPCR reports. After vaccines became available, traveling was permitted for individuals fully vaccinated. By an order on December 2, 2021, the CDC declared that all persons above two years of age should carry a negative COVID-19 test result or show proof of recovery before boarding a flight to the US.
What is the latest on the US travel ban? The CDC issued the most recent update on June 12, 2022. According to this new rule, passengers traveling to the US no longer have to show negative COVID reports or carry any proof of recovery. It has been a huge relief for tourists who want to visit America.
The guidelines on vaccination
Is the COVID-19 vaccine required to travel to the US? Yes. The CDC has provided vaccination rules for passengers flying to the US. Non-US citizens and non-immigrants have to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding any flight to the USA.
Who are non-citizens and non-immigrants? Anyone who is not a US citizen, US national, traveling to the United States on an immigrant visa, and a lawful permanent resident fall under these groups. Some categories of non-immigrants are exempt from this requirement, but they must meet other requirements before traveling by air to the United States.
What are the latest US travel restrictions for tourists traveling to the USA?
Every year, millions of tourists travel to the USA. The USA travel ban hindered the tourism industry. It is pertinent to ask, can tourists travel to the USA now?
The travel ban has been lifted, and pre-departure testing is no longer required, so tourists can travel to the USA if they are fully vaccinated. CDC has clarified that foreign tourists can visit the USA based on their international travel history and vaccination status. They can travel to the USA if they have not been in any restricted country in the last 14 days.
Check the list of restricted countries frequently as it changes according to the epidemiological situation.
Booster shots are not required to enter the United States. Children below 18 are not required to provide proof of vaccination.
In other words, if you plan to visit the USA, get fully vaccinated, check the latest CDC updates, and your embassy.