International Travel During COVID-19 | CDC

Don't travel internationally until you are fully vaccinated. If you are not fully vaccinated and need to travel, follow the CDC's international travel advice for unvaccinated individuals.

Fully vaccinated travelers have a lower risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. International travel carries additional risks, however, and even fully vaccinated travelers could be at increased risk of catching and potentially spreading some variants of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 situation, including the spread of new or affected variants, varies from country to country. All travelers must pay close attention to the conditions at their destination before traveling.

CDC will update these recommendations as more people are vaccinated, COVID-19 rates change, and additional scientific evidence becomes available.

Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated Individuals

Have you been fully vaccinated?

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated *:

2 weeks after your second dose in a 2-dose series, such as: B. the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
2 weeks after a single dose vaccination, such as the Janssen vaccine from Johnson & Johnson

If you do not meet these requirements, you are NOT fully vaccinated. Continue to take all precautions until you are fully vaccinated.

If you have a medical condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may not be fully protected even if you are fully vaccinated. Talk to your doctor. You may still need to take all precautions after vaccination.

Before you travel
- Make sure you understand and follow any airline and destination requirements for travel, mask-wearing, testing, or quarantine, which may differ from US requirements. If you fail to meet the requirements of your travel destination, you may be refused entry and have to return to the United States.
- Find out about the current COVID-19 situation in your travel destination.
To travel:
- Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth is compulsory on airplanes, buses, trains, and other public transportation to, from, or within the United States, and indoors at U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and train stations. Passengers are not required to wear a mask outside of a means of transport (such as on the open deck areas of a ferry or the uncovered upper deck of a bus).
- Follow all recommendations and requirements at your destination, including wearing masks and social distancing
Before you arrive in the United States:
- All passengers coming to the United States including US citizens and those fully vaccinated, are necessary Have a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 3 days prior to travel or evidence of recovery from COVID-19 in the last 3 months prior to boarding the US.
After the journey:
- Get a virus test 3-5 days after the trip.
- Self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.
- After your trip, follow any state and local recommendation or requirement.

Recommendations for the unvaccinated

If you are not fully vaccinated and need to travel, take the following steps to protect yourself and others from COVID-19:

Before you travel:
- Get a virus test 1-3 days before your trip.
- Make sure you understand and follow any airline and destination requirements for travel, testing, or quarantine, which may differ from US requirements. If you fail to meet the requirements of your travel destination, you may be refused entry and have to return to the United States.
- Find out about the COVID-19 situation at your travel destination.
While you are out:
- Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth is compulsory on airplanes, buses, trains, and other public transportation to, from, or within the United States, and indoors at U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and train stations. Passengers are not required to wear a mask outside of a means of transport (such as on the open deck areas of a ferry or the uncovered upper deck of a bus). CDC recommends that travelers who are not fully vaccinated continue to wear a mask and maintain physical distance when traveling.
- Avoid crowds and keep a minimum distance of 2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from people who are not traveling with you.
- Wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol).
Before you arrive in the United States:
- All passengers entering the United States, including US citizens and those who have been fully vaccinated, are necessary Have a negative COVID-19 virus test result no more than 3 days prior to travel or evidence of recovery from COVID-19 in the last 3 months prior to boarding the US.
After the journey:
- Get a virus test 3-5 days after the trip AND Stay home and self-quarantine for 7 days after the trip.
  - Even if your test is negative, stay home and self-quarantine for 7 days.
  - If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from infection.
- If you don't get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after the trip.
- Avoid being around people who are at increased risk of serious illness for 14 days, whether or not you get tested.
- Self-monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.
- Follow any state and local recommendation or requirement.
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Brief overview for international travel recommendations

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Check travel restrictions

If you are going overseas, check with the State Department or Department of Health in your destination or the State Department, Consular Office, Country Information pageexternal symbol

If you're traveling by air, check to see if your airline requires health information, tests, or other documentation. If you are going abroad, you must have a COVID-19 test no later than 3 days before your return trip to the USA. You must provide a negative COVID-19 test result or proof of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the United States.

Information for people who have recently recovered from COVID-19

When you have recovered from a documented COVID-19 infection within the last 3 months, follow all requirements and recommendations for fully vaccinated travelers, except that you do NOT need to do a test 3-5 days after travel unless you have symptoms. People can continue to test positive for up to 3 months after being diagnosed and are not contagious to others.

* These guidelines apply to COVID-19 vaccines currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson (J&J) / Janssen COVID-19 vaccines. These guidelines can also be applied to COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization (e.g. AstraZeneca / Oxford). See WHO websiteexternal symbol