Travelers No Longer Required to Provide a COVID Test to Enter the U.S.

On Friday, many travelers let out a collective sigh of relief as the Biden administration announced the suspension of mandatory COVID testing for those entering the United States, effective June 12.

The testing requirement, implemented in January 2021 to mitigate the spread of COVID, officially ended on Sunday when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed the testing mandate. Now, all travelers—regardless of citizenship or vaccination status—are no longer required to present a negative COVID test to enter the U.S. This change alleviates the stress many faced in obtaining test results within a day of their travel to the U.S. Additionally, many travelers have been anxious about the possibility of facing extended quarantines abroad if they tested positive for COVID.

The move to eliminate the COVID testing requirement occurred amid a resurgence of COVID cases in the U.S. and other regions (actual case numbers may be significantly higher than reported due to the increased use of at-home COVID tests) along with rising hospitalizations.

CDC has removed the testing requirement but still advises testing before travel

Although a COVID test is no longer mandatory for entry into the United States, the CDC still advises travelers to get tested for COVID-19 using either a PCR or antigen test within three days before their departure, regardless of vaccination status. Additionally, the CDC recommends that those who test positive should avoid traveling for 10 days following the onset of symptoms or after a positive test result if they are asymptomatic.

The agency also encourages all travelers to get tested after returning from their trips, particularly if they have been in higher-risk environments, such as crowded places without wearing a properly fitted mask.

Furthermore, all air passengers traveling to the United States must provide their contact information to their airline prior to boarding their flight, to assist with any necessary contact tracing.

The United States joins a growing list of countries that have lifted COVID testing mandates, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, among others. The CDC's decision to remove these travel restrictions comes less than two months after the U.S. federal transportation mask mandate was rescinded on April 18. As a result, travelers to and within the U.S. no longer need to wear masks on flights, marking a significant easing of pandemic-related travel measures—at least for the time being.

The CDC plans to reassess the necessity of a COVID testing requirement every 90 days, and this requirement could be reinstated should a concerning new variant arise.

Growing opposition to the COVID testing requirement for travelers

The COVID testing mandate for entering the United States was introduced in January 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden assumed office. In December of the same year, amid a surge of COVID cases fueled by the Omicron variant, the rules tightened further, requiring travelers to present a negative COVID test result obtained within one day of their departure instead of three.

In recent months, the U.S. has faced increasing pressure to eliminate the COVID testing requirement for international travelers. Just last week, a coalition of 38 mayors from various cities submitted a letter to the White House advocating for the removal of the predeparture testing rule. This request followed a similar appeal made in May by over 250 travel companies, including major hotel chains and leading airlines, who argued that enhanced immunity from vaccinations, boosters, and past infections, along with effective treatments, have made it safe for Americans to return to work, school, and normal activities.

According to Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association—which promotes inbound travel to the U.S.—the predeparture testing requirement had become an "unnecessary obstacle and a significant deterrent to travel to the U.S." He made these remarks during a travel industry conference last week.

Dow praised the Biden administration’s decision to eliminate the testing requirement on Friday, calling it a "major advancement for the recovery of inbound air travel and the revival of international travel to the United States."

He mentioned that removing the predeparture testing requirement could lead to an influx of 5.4 million more visitors to the United States, along with an estimated $9 billion in travel spending in the U.S. for the rest of 2022. While domestic travel within the U.S. is almost back to pre-pandemic figures, international travel has yet to fully recover. According to the trade group Airlines for America, U.S. international air travel in May was still 24 percent lower than in 2019.

Eliminating the testing requirement is also expected to increase the number of U.S. travelers going overseas. In April, travel app TripIt from Concur conducted a survey with over 700 of its U.S. users and discovered that 44 percent would be more inclined to travel once the testing requirement was lifted. Additionally, the survey revealed that 60 percent of respondents wished for the removal of the COVID-19 testing requirement for inbound international travelers.

After the announcement that the CDC had abolished the U.S. testing requirement, travel research firm MMGY Travel Intelligence conducted a survey of 774 Americans on June 12. They found that 36 percent are now more inclined to travel outside the U.S. due to the lifted testing requirement. Meanwhile, nearly half (44 percent) indicated that this news would not affect their intent to travel internationally. However, not all participants were pleased with the change—20 percent of those surveyed reported being less likely to travel internationally now that the testing requirement is no longer in place.

Associated Press contributed reporting. This article was initially published on June 10, 2022, and has been updated to reflect the latest information.