US Planning to Require COVID Vaccination for Foreign Travelers

A White House official said that the US is planning to take the first steps towards reopening its borders. As part of their strategy, they are working towards requiring COVID vaccination for foreign visitors. The official said that they are planning “a phased approach that over time will mean, with limited exceptions, that foreign nationals traveling to the United States (from all countries) need to be fully vaccinated”.

The report doesn’t include the exact timeline of the planned border reopening. Currently, interagency working groups are studying details on how and when to safely resume normal travel.

The policy to require COVID vaccination for foreign visitors could be a game-changer, especially for the travel industry. Since last year, the US restricted international travel. And with the spread of the delta virus in the US threatening travel-related industries again, this is big news.

Can COVID Vaccination for Foreign Travelers Bring Back International Travel?

Domestic travel in the US is currently in full swing. However, international travel remains low. Could the Biden administration’s plan to require COVID vaccination for foreign travelers be the answer to bringing back international travel?

Unfortunately, the process is not as simple as the travel industry wants it to be. This will involve details such as the types of vaccines that will be eligible. Also, will the proof of vaccination use a standardized vaccine passport? Most European countries have adopted the Digital COVID Pass since July 1. As for Canada, visitors need to use the ArriveCAN “vaccine passport” app where you can upload passport information and COVID vaccination records. At this time, the US still has no official “vaccine passport”.

Pressure to Lift Restrictions

The Biden administration has been pressured to lift restrictions. UK and EU have opened their borders to vaccinated American travelers.  Vaccinated Americans don’t need to spend time in quarantine. However, the US announced that it is not going to reciprocate reopening due to the number of delta cases in the US.