The Biden Administration has suspended COVID testing requirements for international travelers, effective Sunday, June 12, 2022, at 12:01 am ET. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) determined that an international airline passenger will no longer be required to show a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding an international flight to the U.S. The net result is that international passengers will no longer be required to get tested and show a negative COVID-19 test result nor show documentation of recovery from COVID-19, prior to boarding a flight to the United States, regardless of the traveler’s citizenship.  

The COVID testing requirement was first imposed in January 2021 and applied to all travelers ages 2 and older, including U.S. citizens. Until the new rule, travelers were required to show a negative COVID test result obtained within one day of travel to the United States.

The suspension of the testing requirement is welcome news for international travelers.  However, it should be noted that noncitizen nonimmigrant travelers will still be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to be able to board a flight to the United States. The CDC is likely to periodically reassess the possible reinstatement of testing requirements, based on a new variant of the coronavirus or other public health concerns.

This update from the CDC can be found here.