November 8th marks changes to U.S. policy with regards to non-citizen, non-immigrant travelers to the United States. The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Guyana would like to help visa applicants and their families be informed and prepared to meet these requirements. The following FAQ clarifies details on U.S. Presidential Proclamation 10294.
How does the Presidential Proclamation affect Immigrant Visa applicants?
Immigrants are already subject to separate requirements for medical examination and vaccination; the current changes are meant to advance the safe resumption of international travel. Visa applicants may visit the CDC’s website and review the “International Travel Requirements” page to find out more.
What will I need to show airlines to prove that I am fully vaccinated?
You must provide proof of vaccination status to airlines prior to departure to the United States. That proof should be either a paper or digital record issued by an official source and should include the traveler’s name and date of birth, as well as the vaccine product and date(s) of administration for all doses the traveler received.
What if I’m fully vaccinated with a vaccine not approved by the FDA nor the WHO?
CDC has determined that for purposes of travel to the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA approved or authorized and World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use listed (EUL) vaccines. Excep-tions are extremely limited. You may have to wait until the vaccine you have been administered completes the process on the WHO’s EUL.
Does my minor child need to be fully vaccinated to travel?
Children under 18 are excepted from the vaccination requirement for foreign national travelers, given both the ineligibility of some younger children for vaccination, as well as the global variability in access to vaccination for older children who are eligible to be vaccinated. However, children between the ages of 2 and 17 are required to take a pre-departure test.
Are there exceptions to the vaccination requirements?
The Presidential Proclamation and CDC order include a very limited set of exceptions from the vaccination requirement for foreign nationals. These include exceptions for children, certain COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial participants, those with rare medical contraindications to the vaccines, those who need to travel for emergency or humanitarian reasons, those who are traveling on non-tourist visas from countries with low-vaccine availability, members of the armed forces and their immediate families, airline crew, ship crew, and diplomats.
I’m a US Citizen and not fully vaccinated, are there any changes I should know about?
Yes, US Citizens and LPRs who are not fully vaccinated must show a negative COVID test within one day of departure to the United States.
Good resources for more information:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/international-travel/index.html
