For months, the US border has been open to its citizens regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination status, but it has been closed to non-citizens who are not vaccinated for COVID-19. There are very few exceptions listed to the ban.
There was some expectation that the US would end its COVID-19 vaccination requirement in early January, bringing its COVID border policy in line with much of the rest of the world, including next-door neighbors Canada and Mexico, who are both open to non-vaccinated US citizens.
At the time of writing this piece, the US has not changed the rules for entry, but a policy change announced at the end of December may still be good news to European travelers.
Previously, the US border would only admit travelers who had received a CDC-approved COVID-19 vaccine, carrying proof of that vaccination. In regulations announced on April 21, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security stated:
Non-U.S. travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals, whether for essential or non-essential reasons, must continue to:
verbally attest to their COVID-19 vaccination status; provide, upon request, proof of a CDC-approved COVID-19 vaccination, as outlined on the CDC website; present a valid Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document, such as a valid passport, Trusted Traveler Program card, or Enhanced Tribal Card; and, be prepared to present any other relevant documents requested by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer during a border inspection.
The CDC website has more details. Before December 30, the regulations only allowed travelers with Pfizer, J&J, Moderna or Novavax COVID-19 vaccines to enter the US. Now, there’s a much longer, updated list that includes several other WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines (see the whole list here).
That’s good news for travelers from the EU or other regions who may have received a COVID-19 vaccine that is approved in their home country, but was not previously approved in the US. However, it’s bad news for travelers who have received a vaccine that is not on the list (Sputnik, Abdala, and others). It is also bad news for those who have not been given a COVID-19 vaccine, even if they are considered vaccinated in their home country (which was the case at one point for some Europeans, who were considered vaccinated after surviving a COVID-19 infection even if they had not received a full course of COVID-19 vaccines).
Confused? The US government websites don’t make it easy to understand what’s going on, and you’ve got to consult the TSA, Homeland Security and CDC websites to figure it out—and even then, it’s easy to get misled by out-of-date information that remains posted online. Go down the rabbit hole in travel forums, and there’s plenty of inaccurate information. The best policy, if you’re traveling internationally in 2023, is to research the latest border information on whatever country you’re visiting. Ensure you’re getting the most up-to-date details; if possible, go right to the embassy or other government source for the information directly, then double-check with recent travelers to see what their experiences are.
But no matter what those travelers say, remember that the law is the law, and border officials can (and often will) revert to official policy even if there has been a pattern of exceptions. This is true around the world, and the US border is the perfect example. While some travelers report stories of crossing without showing proof of vaccination, the law states that non-residents must be vaccinated to enter. Do not plan your riding trip to the US around the potential good graces of a border guard looking the other way. If you want to be guaranteed entry, your paperwork must be in order.
Source: https://www.advrider.com/
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