US Ends COVID-19 Test Requirement for International Travel

The Biden administration just announced plans to ease one of the last remaining COVID-19 government mandates. The US Government will lift the requirement for international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights.

The mandate expires Sunday at 12:01 a.m. EDT and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that it is no longer necessary to keep in place. The agency plans to reevaluate the need for the testing requirement every 90 days and that it could be reinstated if a new variant emerges.

The mandate allowed those who were fully vaccinated to show proof of a negative test within three days of travel. Unvaccinated travelers had to present a test taken within one day of travel.


This past November, as the omicron variant increased around the world, the Biden administration tightened the requirement and required all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, to test within a day of traveling to the U.S.

Many other countries have lifted their testing requirements for fully vaccinated and boosted travelers in a effort to increase tourism to their economies.