Effective January 26, 2021, ALL air passengers traveling internationally to the United States, including US Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents, will require a negative COVID-19 viral test within three days prior to departure. Proof of the negative laboratory test result (paper or electronic copy) will be required at the time of boarding. If the air passenger has recently recovered from COVID-19, they will be required to provide documentation from a doctor’s office confirming recovery. Any passenger failing to provide the necessary and accurate documentation will be denied boarding.

 

Important takeaways from the CDC order are the following:

 

• Applies to all passengers traveling internationally to the United States regardless of citizenship that are age 2 and older;

• Passengers must take a viral test within 3 days prior to departure and provide a hard or digital copy of negative COVID-19 laboratory test results;

• The name listed on the laboratory test results must match the name on the passenger’s passport, must reflect a negative result, and must include the method of testing to ensure it is a viral test.

 

Currently, the CDC order does not apply to land ports of entry. The new measure is intended to slow the spread of the virus as vaccinations are made available to the public at large. The official CDC press release can be found here.

 

Globally, several countries have also started to require a negative COVID-19 viral test prior to boarding, including the United Kingdom and Canada, among others. We anticipate that several more countries will follow a similar trend.

 

Global travelers should check with Graham Adair and their airline prior to international travel.