Make sure you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines before you travel internationally. Getting vaccinated is still the best way to protect yourself from severe disease and slow the spread of COVID-19. People who are not vaccinated and up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines should follow additional recommendations before, during, and after travel.
Before You Leave the United States
Make sure to plan ahead:
- Check the current COVID-19 situation at your destination.
- Follow all requirements of conveyance operators (such as airlines, cruise lines, buses) as well as any requirements at your destinationexternal icon, whether traveling by air, land, or sea, including mask wearing, proof of vaccination, testing, or quarantine. Requirements may differ from U.S. requirements. If you do not follow your destination’s requirements, you may be denied entry and required to return to the United States.
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Testing
RECOMMENDED
- If you are not vaccinated and up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines, get tested with a viral test as close to the time of departure as possible (no more than 3 days) before your trip.
- You are sick, even if you recovered from COVID-19 within the past 90 days or are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines.
- You tested positive for COVID-19.
- Do not travel until a full 10 days after your symptoms started or the date your positive test was taken if you had no symptoms.
- You are waiting for results of a COVID-19 test.
- You had close contact with a person with COVID-19 and are recommended to quarantine.
- Do not travel until a full 5 days after your last close contact with the person with COVID-19. It is best to avoid travel for a full 10 days after your last exposure.
- If you must travel during days 6 through 10 after your last exposure:
- Get tested at least 5 days after your last close contact. Make sure your test result is negative and you remain without symptoms before traveling. If you don’t get tested, avoid travel until a full 10 days after your last close contact with a person with COVID-19.
- Properly wear a well-fitting mask when you are around others for the entire duration of travel during days 6 through 10. If you are unable to wear a mask, you should not travel during days 6 through 10.
If you had close contact with a person with COVID-19 but are NOT recommended to quarantine…
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- Get tested at least 5 days after your last close contact. Make sure your test result is negative and you remain without symptoms before traveling.
- If you had confirmed COVID-19 within the past 90 days, you do NOT need to get tested, but you should still follow all other recommendations (including if you develop COVID-19 symptoms).
- If you travel during the 10 days after your last exposure, properly wear a well-fitting mask when you are around others for the entire duration of travel during the 10 days. If you are unable to wear a mask, you should not travel during the 10 days.
- Get tested at least 5 days after your last close contact. Make sure your test result is negative and you remain without symptoms before traveling.
During Travel
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Masks
REQUIRED
- Wearing a mask over your nose and mouth is required in indoor areas of public transportation (including on airplanes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation) traveling into, within, or out of the United States and indoors in U.S. transportation hubs (including airports and stations). Travelers are not required to wear a mask in outdoor areas of a conveyance (like on open deck areas of a ferry or the uncovered top deck of a bus).
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Protect Yourself and Others
RECOMMENDED
Before Traveling to the United States
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Testing – ALL Travelers
REQUIRED
Before boarding a flight to the United States, you are required to show a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than 1 day before travel. There is also an option for people who have documented recovery from COVID-19 in the past 90 days.
Children under 2 years old do not need to test.
Learn more about these requirements.
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Contact Information – ALL Travelers
REQUIRED
All air passengers to the United States will also be required to provide contact information to airlines before boarding flights to the United States. This strengthens a travel process already in place to rapidly identify and contact people in the U.S. who may have been exposed to a communicable disease, such as COVID-19. Access to travelers’ contact information will allow U.S. federal, state, and local health departments, and agencies to share appropriate health and public health information necessary to help keep the public safe.
After Arrival in the United States
You might have been exposed to COVID-19 on your travels, whether you traveled by air, land, or sea. You might feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still be infected and spread the virus to others. For this reason, CDC recommends the following:
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If You Are NOT Vaccinated and Up to Date with your COVID-19 Vaccines
RECOMMENDED
- Stay home and self-quarantine for a full 5 days after travel.
- Follow additional recommendations below for ALL travelers.
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ALL Travelers
RECOMMENDED
