From vaccines to testing: What travelers need to know before the new US travel system launches on Nov. 8

[millefleur 5,047]

1 hour ago, slavaskii said:

In any case, I wouldn't be worried about a traveler's card not being accepted for international travel; recall that Americans have literal index cards with stickers on them, and the EU (begrudgingly, it seemed) still accepted them nonetheless.

My Covid vax card doesn't even have a sticker. It's just a penned in date and signature from the pharmacist. I got it at Walgreens. Maybe other places are putting the sticker?

Edited October 22, 2021 by millefleur

[millefleur 5,047]

1 hour ago, slavaskii said:

As an update, CNN International posted this morning that the new requirements will come out in 'waves', with the first being November 8 when it will be required for non-essential visitors, and then sometime in January 2022 for everyone else.

Found a source with some info about Canada and Mexico travel:

 

Quote

The CDC has also confirmed that a mixture of the above vaccines will meet the definition of “fully vaccinated” per the new travel requirements provided the “second dose in a two dose heterologous series must have been received no earlier than 17 days (21 days with a 4 day grace period) after the first dose.

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas recently announced that the current travel restrictions prohibiting non-essential travel along the borders with Canada and Mexico will also be modified in two phases:

  • Phase One/November 2021: DHS will permit fully vaccinated foreign national travelers from Mexico or Canada to enter the United States at land and ferry Ports of Entry (POEs) for non-essential reasons.  Currently, non-essential visitors from Canada or Mexico can only enter via air.

  • Phase Two/January 2022: DHS will require all inbound foreign national travelers, whether for essential or non-essential reasons, crossing by land or ferry – whether for essential or non-essential reasons – be fully vaccinated.

From here: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/update-regarding-us-covid-19-travel-restrictions

Edited October 22, 2021 by millefleur

[slavaskii 886]

7 minutes ago, millefleur said:

My Covid vax card doesn't even have a sticker. It's just a penned in date and signature from the pharmacist. I got it at Walgreens. Maybe other places are putting the sticker?

Ha, really? I was referring more to the sticker at the top with name/date of birth, but come to think of it, my vaccine's lot number and location is just stamped onto the card. There's not even a signature, though it was given by EMS so maybe they don't typically sign? Regardless, I'm pretty sure a signature is necessary/standard in most parts of the world, but I haven't been questioned on it yet... to me, it's just another example about how our rollout was so highly non-standardized and questionable that it's a miracle people let us travel with the CDC cards, but I digress. 

 

Just now, millefleur said:

Found a source with some info about Canada and Mexico travel:

 

From here:https://www.natlawreview.com/article/update-regarding-us-covid-19-travel-restrictions

Very interesting it will now apply to land borders! That eliminates some posters' thoughts that they could bypass it by driving through Mexico. I appreciate how they're doing it in waves, though I don't think that'll change anything because if you have a valid visa and no vaccine, you'd have already booked it to the US by now. I interpret that as being more of a way to test the process on the limited few November tourists before unleashing the inevitable havoc of checking everyone's cards on arrival in January. 

 

The best thing I see about this, though, is the permission to mix doses. I know of many people in Germany that have mixed Astra-Zeneca shots, and I do recall Merkel commenting how Jansenn combined with a mRNA booster was extremely effective.

 

Also, as an aside, the government seems to be very hush-hush on what exemptions will exist. They've repeatedly called them "limited", so I'm still inclined to believe they won't be giving them out even if one's country doesn't have an approved vaccine. Considering we're only a couple weeks away from November 8th, they're going to have to provide more information on that soon. My principal worry is that this is going to work as a de facto travel ban against many lesser-fortunate countries. 

[millefleur 5,047]

3 minutes ago, slavaskii said:

Ha, really? I was referring more to the sticker at the top with name/date of birth, but come to think of it, my vaccine's lot number and location is just stamped onto the card.

I guess some people got a sticker that looks like this:

 

Mine is just handwritten and signed with no stamps. The fact that everyone's cards are going to look different seems like it will create more confusion, haha.

 

20 minutes ago, slavaskii said:

My principal worry is that this is going to work as a de facto travel ban against many lesser-fortunate countries. 

Pretty much, against anyone who has Sputnik V for example.

[Ariananana 4]

We are due to fly to the US from the UK on the 20th of November. Do you know if we will need a PCR test or can we get the antigen test instead? We are both fully vaxxed.   Would be nice to not spend money on the pcr if we can just get antigens. 

[millefleur 5,047]

According to the official DoS FAQ:

 

Quote

Why are immigrants not covered by the new proclamation or orders?

• Immigrants are already subject to separate requirements for medical examination and vaccination.

 

From here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/emergencies/covid-19-faqs-for-travel-to-the-us-information.html

[millefleur 5,047]

On "limited exceptions" from DoS FAQ:

 

Quote

How will the limited vaccine availability exception work?

• Please see the CDC website for more information on exceptions. 

 

What the CDC site says:

 

Quote

 

Categories of noncitizen, nonimmigrants that meet the criteria for an exception under the proclamation and CDC’s order include:

• Persons on diplomatic or official foreign government travel
• Children under 18 years of age
• Persons with documented medical contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine
• Participants in certain COVID-19 vaccine trials
• Persons issued a humanitarian or emergency exception
• Persons with valid visas [excluding B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourism) visas] who are citizens of a foreign country with limited COVID-19 vaccine availability
• Members of the U.S. Armed Forces or their spouses or children (under 18 years of age)
• Sea crew members traveling pursuant to a C-1 and D nonimmigrant visa
• Persons whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, Secretary of Transportation, or Secretary of Homeland Security (or their designees)

If you are a noncitizen, nonimmigrant who does not fall under any of these exceptions, you must show proof of being fully vaccinated before boarding a flight to the United States.

 

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/proof-of-vaccination.html#faq-exceptions

Edited October 26, 2021 by millefleur

[JeanneAdil 6,581]

On 10/21/2021 at 10:58 AM, J B L said:

So you no longer need to do a test 3 days prior to coming to the USA?

yes,  as announced by White House the 25th of October /  even children need the test

and there are new mandates for the vaccine /  need to show vaccinated even for crossing border on land

[Cherie123 8]

This sucks for people for people from Russia! What happens if they have already been vaccinated with the Sputnik vaccine and they get DQd and get  their interview, are they still going to be able to come to the states? 

[Keithn85 400]

I will say that I traveled with my paper card to Ukraine and back within the first 2 weeks of October.  Airlines leaving US checked for a test, I provided the card.  When I arrived to Boryspil, same thing.  They accepted the card with no hassle along with other things they required.  I still took my 3 day prior to flight PCR.  On the way home, Boryspil checked, Istanbul checked, US customs, nope nothing.  They were more concerned if I brought alcohol.  It saved me a good chunk of money that I could spend on my fiancee instead.  But just the process itself was easy.

[Ryan H 3,818]

~~~Derailing post removed along with one post quoting; post minus the quote returned below.~~~

 

1 hour ago, Chancy said:

 

Regardless of anyone's beliefs, the new travel restrictions are going into effect starting Nov 8th.

 

For discussions on religious/political beliefs about the vaccine, feel free to join the appropriate thread on that topic, which is -- https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/751660-all-things-coronavirus-part-2/

 

 

[Lskifghj 53]

On 10/26/2021 at 2:03 AM, Ariananana said:

We are due to fly to the US from the UK on the 20th of November. Do you know if we will need a PCR test or can we get the antigen test instead? We are both fully vaxxed.   Would be nice to not spend money on the pcr if we can just get antigens. 

Following! Would like to know this as well. 

[James D 39]

On 10/21/2021 at 11:29 AM, JeanneAdil said:

sorry but all i  got when vaccinated was an index card with information / plain old paper index card

 

with today's computers and printers it would be easy to do a fake one

 

there was a 16 year old that lost his job at McDonald's and copied the logo from a food bag and made out fake paychecks for himself to the tune of over $5000 before  he was caught 

we can do anything on a computer 

 

so, how do i really know the people around me are really vaccinated ?    i will keep wearing a mask 

The vaccinated are just as likeky to transmit the virus as the unvaccinated. But keep wearing the mask and using the alcohol gel. I  do around others because science doesn't know everything.

[JeanneAdil 6,581]

Got the booster and i asked "Why do we need this?"

answer " They don't know if the other 2 shots weaken after time"

 

great!!!  so we are going to need boosters every year?????

[Isabella G 5]

What about religious exemptions?