Table of Contents

Starting in 2023 Travel to Europe Will Require an Extra Step

In mid-to-late 2023, U.S. citizens and nationals of over 60 other countries will need an electronic travel authorization to visit much of Europe.

Travelers to any Schengen-zone country will have to register with a European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). ETIAS will be similar to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) already used in the United States.

How will it work?

Most travelers have no need to worry. The process will involve a quick online application and a €7.00 credit card payment. According to the European Commission, “ETIAS will be a simple, fast and visitor-friendly system, which will, in more than 95% of cases, result in a positive answer within a few minutes.”

The authorization will be valid for unlimited entries within a three-year period – or until the date of the applicant’s passport expiry, whichever is sooner – so travelers who frequent Europe won’t need to apply every time. Without a visa (ETIAS is not a visa), U.S. citizens will still need to limit their travel to 90 days within any 180-day period (the current limit). Those seeking to travel for purposes such as work or study will still require a visa.

Americans will need an electronic authorization to visit Europe

Americans will need an electronic authorization to visit Europe
Image courtesy of Pixabay

If I’m traveling to Europe, when should I apply for ETIAS authorization?

Until 2023, ETIAS authorization will not be required. Once it goes into effect travelers should be able to obtain the authorization online within minutes, in most cases. Of course it’s better not to wait until the last minute. In rare cases applicants may be asked for additional information, which could take a few days or longer to process.

Which countries does this apply to?

ETIAS authorization will be needed for travel to any country that is part of the Schengen Borders Agreement, as well as countries that are European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Members, European Microstates With Open Borders, as well as Future Schengen Members (“Home ETIAS Countries”). This includes: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

I’m not a U.S. citizen. Will this affect me?

ETIAS will apply to anyone who travels visa-free to the Schengen area. This includes nationals of over 60 countries. More information can be found within the European Commission’s press release regarding ETIAS.

James manages the programs for U.S. citizens at InterExchange.

Thursday May 20, 2021

Language Homestay Italy

Language Homestay Italy

Live with a host family and help their children learn English

Language Homestay Italy

Live with a host family and help their children learn English

As a volunteer tutor you’ll live with a welcoming host family, teach your host children English for 15 hours per week, and experience Italy as a local. This intercultural experience is a great way to help others, work on your Italian, and gain insight into Italian culture.

Why Can’t Europeans Travel to America?

The European Union has reopened to visitors from the United States, but the traffic has not been two-way. There are few clues as to when that will change.

Send any friend a story

As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.

Give this article Give this article Give this article

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in June that the United States wanted to “restore travel as fully and as quickly as possible,” but little obvious progress has been made.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in June that the United States wanted to “restore travel as fully and as quickly as possible,” but little obvious progress has been made. Credit. Pool photo by Clemens Bilan – Pool/Getty Images

In June, the European Union officially recommended its member countries reopen their borders to American tourists after more than a year of tight restrictions. The United Kingdom also placed the United States on an “amber” list, and on July 28, said fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. would be allowed entry to England and Scotland without quarantining upon arrival starting Aug. 2.

But residents of Europe’s Schengen area — spanning 29 countries, city-states and micro-states — as well as those in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are still barred from traveling to the United States, unless they are a U.S. citizen or they spend 14 days before arrival in a country that is not on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s prohibited list. Certain family members are also exempt.

Read Post  Which train travel to europe from st pancras station

The restrictions were first put in place in March 2020. Although President Donald J. Trump briefly ordered an end to the ban on European travelers during his last week in office, President Biden quickly rescinded the move.

Discussions about when to resume inbound travel have been opaque. In late June, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was too soon to say when the United States would lift travel curbs for European Union citizens.

“We are anxious to be able to restore travel as fully and as quickly as possible. We’re very much guided by the science, by our medical experts. That has to be the foundational principle on which we’re looking at this,” Mr. Blinken said at a news conference in Paris, adding that he “can’t put a date on it.”

Read More on the Coronavirus Pandemic

  • Long Covid: People who took the antiviral drug Paxlovid within a few days after being infected with the coronavirus were less likely to experience long Covid months later, a study found.
  • Updated Boosters: New findings show that updated boosters by Pfizer and Moderna are better than their predecessors at increasing antibody levels against the most common version of the virus now circulating.
  • Calls for a New Strategy: Covid boosters can help vulnerable Americans dodge serious illness or death, but some experts believe the shots must be improved to prevent new waves.
  • Future Vaccines: Financial and bureaucratic barriers in the United States mean that the next generation of Covid vaccines may well be designed here, but used elsewhere.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on July 26 that the United States was not yet ready to lift restrictions on international travel, citing concerns over the highly contagious Delta variant, which is now the dominant variant in the U.S.

“The more transmissible Delta variant is spreading both here and around the world,” she said in a White House press briefing, adding that the increase in case numbers appears “likely to continue in the weeks ahead.”

Here’s what we know about the United States’ border closures with European countries.

Who is in charge of the decision-making?

In June, the White House announced the creation of “working groups” with the European Union, the U.K., Canada and Mexico to reopen borders.

“While these groups have met a number of times, there are further discussions to be had before we can announce any next steps on travel reopening with any country,” Kevin Munoz, a White House spokesman, said in a statement. “We have made tremendous progress domestically in our vaccination efforts, as have many of these other countries, but we want to ensure that we move deliberately and are in a position to sustainably reopen international travel when it is safe to do so.”

During the first meeting of the E.U.-U.S. working group, which took place on June 18, officials said they would continue discussions about how to safely reopen travel between the two regions.

“Reciprocity is an important part of our approach to lifting restrictions on non-E.U. countries,” Adalbert Jahnz, a spokesman for the European Commission, said in a statement. He added that the E.U. has “received reassurances that this is a high priority issue for the U.S. administration.”

What are the criteria for reopening travel with Europe?

The Biden administration has repeatedly said that it would rely on the science to guide its decision to relax border restrictions. It has not announced specific benchmarks for reopening.

Even though reported coronavirus cases in the United States have dropped from record-high peaks in the winter, case numbers in July have been on the rise, with public health experts raising concerns about the spread of the Delta variant. The country is reporting an average of about 56,635 new cases a day, according to a New York Times database.

What is the state of the virus in Europe?

After a slow start, vaccination campaigns have started to pick up. The European Union, initially beset with disruptions in supplies of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines, pivoted in April to rely heavily on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Reported coronavirus cases also remain at low levels in many parts of Europe as more people get vaccinated, but the spread of variants has fueled some outbreaks.

The United Kingdom has seen a sharp rise in reported cases since dealing with an outbreak of the Delta variant, but most remaining restrictions, including those relating to social distancing and mask wearing, were lifted on July 19.

Travel lobbying groups and airlines have urged the United States to reopen travel with Europe to bolster the economy. On July 7, a coalition of 24 trade organizations released a blueprint for reopening borders safely, calling for the United States to allow in fully vaccinated travelers from regions that have high vaccination rates and low levels of variants of concern.

“We know international travel can be restarted and particularly with countries that have similar vaccination rates to the U.S.,” Roger Dow, the chief executive of the U.S. Travel Association, said at a webinar on July 7. He specifically called for the United States to immediately reopen travel with the U.K., pointing out that the country has fully vaccinated about 51 percent of its population.

Some public health experts have also called for the reopening of international travel for vaccinated people.

Barry Bloom, a research professor and former dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said that United States officials may be wary of the spread of more contagious variants, but that the presence of the Delta variant was already evident in the country.

“Keeping the Brits out is not going to change that fact,” Dr. Bloom said.

Which other countries are on the prohibited travelers list?

The C.D.C.’s list of countries from which travel is prohibited also includes China, Iran, Brazil, South Africa and India.

US extends vaccine requirement for non-US travelers until January 8

The U.S. is open to tourists from all countries without testing requirement but vaccination is still required for all non-US citizens/residents.

US Reopening Tourism – LATEST UPDATES

November 10: TSA extended the vaccine mandate for non-US visitors

On November 7, the U.S. extended vaccine mandate for travelers until January 8. All non-US visitors still need to show a proof of the full vaccination against Covid-19. (Source: precisionvaccinations.com)

How can unvaccinated travel to the U.S.?

The only way unvaccinated travelers can visit the U.S. is to meet one of the exceptions. You can find all the details about exceptions on the C.D.C website.

Exceptions:

  • Persons on diplomatic or official foreign government travel
  • Persons with documented medical contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine
  • Children under 18 years of age
  • Persons issued a humanitarian or emergency exception
  • Sea crew members traveling with to a C-1 and D nonimmigrant visa
  • Persons with valid visas [excluding B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourism) visas] who are citizens of a foreign country with limited COVID-19 vaccine availability (See list for updates effective June 28, 2022)
  • Members of the U.S. Armed Forces or their spouses or children (under 18 years of age)
  • Persons whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, Secretary of Transportation, or Secretary of Homeland Security (or their designees)

U.S. Reopening FAQs

Yes, U.S. requires proof of a Covid vaccine for land border crossinngs until at least January 8.

No, the testing required to enter the U.S. was dropped in June 2022 for all travelers entering.

Yes, the U.S. is fully open for regular tourism but the Covid-19 vaccine is still required.

The United States is still requiring Covid vaccine from non-US travelers and TSA has recently extended the mandate until at least January 8.

Even tho Covid restrictions and requirements are slowly losing importance around the world, there are more than 100 countries that still require Covid vaccines or tests for travel, and the U.S. is one of them.

November 2: Puerto Rico Officials scrap COVID-19-related domestic restrictions as of Oct. 31

Puerto Rican officials just lifted the island’s COVID-19-related domestic regulations as of Oct. 31. Facemasks are no longer necessary for attendees at events with more than 1,000 participants. Additionally, event goers are no longer needed to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result upon admittance.

Read Post  What impact does the war in Ukraine have on European tourism?

Travelers must continue to adhere to the federal regulations for travel from countries other than the United States and its territories. Nonresident foreign nationals aged 18 and up must be properly vaccinated before flying into Puerto Rico. Vaccination is not required for children under the age of 18, and it is not required for air travel from the mainland United States.

October – The United States, the last North American country requesting proof of vaccination

The United States is officially the last North American country to prevent unvaccinated travelers from entering the country.

As of today, visitors to the United States must present proof of a COVI-19 vaccination certificate to be allowed entry.

Over the past two years, the U.S. has banned travelers from the European Schengen area, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil from entering the country at various times.

But while it was once supported by its best allies, notably Canada, it now stands alone in its quest for Covid security.

June – US Lifts Covid-19 Testing for International Travelers

Travelers to the United States are no longer required to submit a negative Covid 19 test taken within one day prior to departure.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated on Friday that this requirement would be removed beginning early Sunday morning. The health service stated that it will continue to monitor the pandemic’s progress and reevaluate the need for testing if the situation changes.

“This step is possible because of the progress we’ve made in our fight against COVID-19,” said the U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.

How safe is it to travel to the States at the moment?

According to America’s COVID Warning System, the country is overcoming the 4th wave of coronavirus infections.

COVID-19 risk level in the US

COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

COVID-19 cases in the US

As of October 5, the U.S. has recorded 98,308,956 cases and 1,085,366 the highest death toll in the world.

Some of the current carrier flying from Europe to the U.S.

  • Lufthansa United
  • Air Europa
  • Royal Air Maroc
  • Air France
  • Alitalia, Delta Operated by Alitalia CityLiner
  • Delta
  • KLM, Delta Virgin Atlantic
  • Lufthansa, Air Canada 0perated by Air Canada Express – Sky Regional
  • Lufthansa, Air Canada operated by Air Canada Express – Jazz
  • Lufthansa, United operated by Mesa Airlines DBA United Express
  • Tap Air Portugal
  • Turkish Airlines
  • Virgin Atlantic

US reopening borders for tourism: Update Archives

September – US still requires Covid vaccine from non-US citizens

As of September 19, proof of Covid vaccination is still required for entry into the United States for all non-US citizens. There is no recent update from the government on when they are planning to drop this requirement.

February 18 – The CDC considers lifting indoor mask-wearing mandate across the US

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director may recommend the US to lift the need to wear face coverings in indoor settings, said CDC Head Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a White House briefing.

“We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when these metrics are better, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen.”

The CDC will review the number of severe cases and hospital capacity rather before making a final decision.
Also read: More US States Lifting Mask Mandates as COVID-19 Drops

January 15 – The US issues a “Do-not-travel” notice against Canada and Singapore

The CDC has issued the highest travel health advisory to Canada, Singapore and Curaçao due to the high incidence in COVID-19 cases in the previous week.

The CDC currently lists about 80 destinations throughout the world as Level Four.

Canadian health officials forecast the Omicron wave peak at 170,000 cases a day this month, with 2,000 hospitalizations also per day.

The CDC will revisit this travel advice on Monday.

December 22 – US considers lifting travel ban on Southern African countries

The US is reportedly considering lifting its ban on Southern African countries over the next few days.

According to the government, “we’re letting in people from other countries that have as much or more infection than the Southern African countries.”

“We likely are going to pull back on that pretty soon because we have enough infection in our own country,” said Dr. Fauci at the National Press Club.

In less than three weeks, the Omicron variant already accounts for over 73% of the new infections in the U.S. said the CDC on Monday.

December 4 – The US government tightens travel restrictions for all travelers

All international arrivals are now required to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 1 day of departure.

“Our doctors believe tightening testing requirements for pre-departure will help catch more cases, potential cases of people who may be positive and inside the country,” a White House official said.

Also, domestic travelers using all types of public transportation such as trains, cruise ships or domestic flights will have to wear a face mask at all times or face fines of up to USD 3,000.

November 28 – The U.S. to ban all travel from South Africa and other 7 countries from Monday

The U.S. will ban travel from South Africa and other seven countries starting Monday as a new heavily mutated coronavirus variant emerges, announced White House officials on Friday.

Other countries included in the restriction are Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

National and residents are allowed to come back.

“As we move forward,” said the President in a statement, “we will continue to be guided by what the science and my medical team advises.”

November 21 – The U.S. makes booster shots available to all people 18 and above

With an increasing number of countries requiring passengers to provide proof of booster shots to give them access to a number of tourist venues, the U.S.’s move to make booster doses available for most citizens brings relief for international travelers.

“Based on the compelling evidence, all adults over 18 should now have equitable access to a COVID-19 booster dose,” says the CDC.

Despite the fact that more than 195 million Americans are fully vaccinated, Covid cases are on the rise in some locations as vaccine effectiveness declines over time.

The Pfizer booster dose was found to be 95 percent effective in a clinical trial involving 10,000 people aged 16 and up.

November 13 – Travelers experiencing long wait times at U.S. airports

Following the reopening on Nov. 8, large numbers of overseas travelers have begun to arrive in American airports.

Although this is wonderful news for families and the tourism sector, 21 months of closure did not seem to be enough time for American airports to prepare for such a large influx of passengers all at once.

Thousands of travelers have complained about having to wait over two hours to get through customs. Things are expected to worsen as the Christmas holidays approach.

“The expectation is that we could see wait times of up to eight hours,” said Sherry Stein, the leader (SITA).

November 5 – The U.S. to welcome EU travelers as soon as ports of entry open on Nov. 8

Beginning Monday, the United States will drop entrance restrictions for vaccinated EU and Asian travelers, putting an end to historic restrictions that have kept the country partially isolated from the rest of the world for almost 21 months.

According to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the U.S. will reopen its air and land borders as soon as ports of entry start operations on Nov. 8

That means that border crossings that are open 24 hours a day will accept international travelers from midnight, while the rest will open during regular business hours.

October 15 – U.S. Government announces the reopening date for the European Union

White House has confirmed the reopening date for international tourism, current travel curbs will be lifted on November 8. Both land and air borders will reopen to fully vaccinated travelers.

Read Post  U. S. Tourism & Travel Statistics 2020-2021

Non-vaccinated air travelers will be also able to enter but they will need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test.

The ban on non-vaccinated travelers will still remain in place on the Mexican and Canadian land borders.

October 20 – The U.S. is set to reopen land borders with Canada and Mexico in “early November”

The U.S. land borders, which have been shut down since March 2020, will reopen to Canadian and Mexican visitors at some point in November as long as they can prove they are fully vaccinated.

“We are pleased to be taking steps to resume regular travel in a safe and sustainable manner,” Homeland Security Secretary said in a statement.

Essential travelers such as truck commercial drivers, students, and other essential personnel will have until January to present their vaccine certificates.

October 10 – U.S. Reveals the vaccines it will accept for EU travelers

There was a lot of uncertainty over which brand of vaccines the US would accept as a valid entry requirement for EU travelers, once it open its borders.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed the country will accept the following:

  • Moderna
  • Pfizer/BioNTech
  • Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)
  • AstraZeneca, including Covishield
  • Sinopharm (Beijing)
  • Sinovac

The CDC also informed that more information will be released as soon as the travel protocols are completed.

The reopening date has not been announced yet.

October 2 – US, Canada, UK, and other G7 leaders met to discuss the future of international travel

Transport and health ministers of Canada, Germany, the U.K, the U.S, Japan, Italy, and France virtually met to discuss the future of international travel on Thursday.

Among other things, the U.S. committed to a number of principles “for a safe and sustainable reopening of travel.” These include trusting scientific evidence, accepting both digital and non-digital test and vaccine passports, protecting users’ private data, and supporting cleaner technologies for land, air, and maritime transport.

Sept. 24 – The U.S. lifts the ban on European Travel but reopening date remains unknown

This week, the U.S. announced that its long ban on European travel will end in “early November”. But so far, they haven’t provided an exact reopening date yet.

The head of the White House’s COVID-19 Response Team, Jeff Zients, said that all travelers must be fully vaccinated, no exceptions.

The CDC will order commercial airlines to collect information from U.S.-bound visitors including their phone number and email address to act as a “public health surveillance system.”

More information about the date and the requirements is expected to be revealed over the next few weeks.

September 16 – The U.S. works on a “new system for international travel” aiming to reopen borders

White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Wednesday the country is working on a “new system for international travel” that will include contract tracing for international visitors when the country lifts its travel ban.

The government aims to replace the current restrictions with a “safer, stronger, and sustainable” system.

The official did not reveal when the new system will be put into motion or the metrics it will use.

September 21 – The U.S. to reopen for vaccinated EU and other travelers in November, says government

Jeff Zients, the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, announced that the U.S. will reopen to visitors from the European Union in “early November.”

Additionally, fully vaccinated travelers from other 33 countries including China, India and Brazil will also be allowed to come back.

“We will move to this much stricter global system, so we will have a consistent approach across all countries,” Zients said.

Visitors will need to present proof of vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test.

September 10 – Nine EU countries have reimposed entry restrictions for American travelers in the last 10 days

On August 31, the European Council recommended removing the U.S. from the “save travel list.” Since then, 11 European countries have taken a stand on the U.S. situation.

As of today, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic and France have enforced additional entry restrictions for Americans.

Netherlands, Spain, Czech Republic and France not only increased their restrictions but also completely barred the unvaccinated.

Sweden and Bulgaria have indefinitely closed their borders to all U.S. arrivals. Croatia, Portugal and Ireland will remain open.

August 31 – U.S. Updates Travel Advisory For Canada, Puerto Rico and Other Countries

Seven countries were moved up to Level 4 travel warning since they surpassed the limit of 500 new cases per 100,000 population over the last 28 days.

The affected countries this time were Switzerland, Saint Lucia, North Macedonia, Laos and Estonia due to their COVID-19 reports; and Oman and Azerbaijan because of raising concerns about terrorism.

Additionally, other 12 countries were moved up or down to the Level 3 travel advisory (high level of COVID).

Some of them because of their improvements in the fight against the pandemic, and some others like Canada and Germany because their efforts are not producing the expected results.

August 19 – U.S. officials and border mayors demand the White House to reopen international borders

A number of U.S. officials and border mayors are joining forces to request the White House to lift the travel restriction that has been in place for 18 months severely affecting their local economies.

A few weeks ago, Washington announced it will maintain restrictions on multiple countries and territories including the EU and China for the time being.

“The ultimate goal is to look for easing of restrictions on nonessential travel,” as well as the “specifics on what we can, need or must do to achieve that.” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.

The government has not replied yet.

August 5 – the US works on a plan to request all international travelers to be fully vaccinated

The U.S. is reportedly putting in place a new system requiring all international arrivals to be fully vaccinated so they can be allowed to travel into the country, a White House official told Reuters.

“With limited exceptions (…) all foreign nationals traveling to the United States (from all countries) need to be fully vaccinated,” said the official.

He also added that “working groups” are getting ready for “when the time is right to transition to this new system.” However, the date when this plan will be set into motion was not released.

August 5 – the US works on a plan to request all international travelers to be fully vaccinated

The U.S. is reportedly putting in place a new system requiring all international arrivals to be fully vaccinated so they can be allowed to travel into the country, a White House official told Reuters.

“With limited exceptions (…) all foreign nationals traveling to the United States (from all countries) need to be fully vaccinated,” said the official.

He also added that “working groups” are getting ready for “when the time is right to transition to this new system.” However, the date when this plan will be set into motion was not released.

July 30 – Fully vaccinated Americans will be able to resume travel with the U.K. on August 2, but U.S. remains closed due to a delta variant and a surge in cases

While the U.S. continues to be closed for half of the world due to a surge in Covid cases, more countries have been adding it to the list of allowed visitors.

Effective August 2, double-vaccinated Americans and residents will be allowed to travel to the U.K. without quarantine.

There is a catch. Americans should’ve been vaccinated in the U.S. or in one EU country.

Although these travelers no longer need to quarantine, they will still be required to submit a negative PCR COVID-19 test before boarding and take another one on the second day of their stay in England.

This scheme does not apply to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland for now.

July 16 – The U.S. borders will not reopen for EU or other travelers for the time being

“It defies logic. It defies science. It defies fact,” Democratic Representative of New York, Brian Higgins told CNN, regarding the lack of transparency about the U.S. international borders reopening.

Another White official said that European Union, United Kingdom, Canadian and Mexican task groups have met with their American counterparts to discuss the aspects that would allow them to safely reopen the country.

However, another White House official told Reuters that “the Biden Administration is not in a rush to lift travel restrictions soon.”

July 9 – The U.S. can’t put a date on the international borders reopening, says government

The U.S. is unable to put a date on international travel reopening according to a White House official who spoke to Reuters on July 7.

“There are further discussions to be had before we can announce any next steps on travel reopening with any country,” said the official.

This is the second time in less than 2 weeks that a Biden’s administration official speaks about the impossibility to determine when the country will reopen for tourism.

On June 25, the US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken also told reporters they could not give an approximate date and that everything will “have to be guided by the science and by medical expertise.”

As of today, Schengen area residents who are not American citizens are only allowed if traveling under the National Interest Exception (NIE).

June 25 – U.S. to resume international tourism after September 6, said U.S. Commerce Secretary

The long-awaited reopening to EU tourists may be about to be over.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has stated the country is actively seeking to open travel bubbles with key partners so they can resume international travel soon.

Although not a specific date was announced, Raimondo mentioned Labor Day, which is celebrated on September 6, as the potential date for free foreign travel.

“I’m hopeful that post-Labor Day we will see a nice uptick in business travel and international travel” […] “I can promise that getting business travel and international travel going again is a top priority,” said Raimondo.

June 9 – U.S. to form task groups with Canada, Mexico, the EU and the U.K. to create a strategy to safely reopen borders soon

Multiple EU countries expected President Joe Biden’s announcement about the U.S. border reopening during his visit to the U.K. for the very first G7 summit of his administration.

But instead, the White house has issued a statement informing the country will not reopen just yet.

“While we are not reopening travel today, we hope that these expert working groups will help us use our collective expertise to chart a path forward, with a goal of reopening international travel with our key partners when it is determined that it is safe to do so,” reads the statement.

For now, the U.S. will form task groups with Canada, Mexico, the EU and the U.K to find the safest way to start international travel.

May 24 – The U.S. has not decided yet whether they will reopen to Europeans or not this summer

On May 19, all E.U. members agreed to welcome back Americans from June. E.U. countries can still enforce extra testing or quarantine requirements, but in principle, all vaccinated Americans will be allowed to visit Europe for tourism again.

Unfortunately, on the other side of the Atlantic things seem to be different. Biden administration has been reportedly holding meetings and contacting tourism industry leaders but reopening decisions have not been made yet.

Last week, White House spokesman Jen Psaki stated that no changes on current travel restrictions have been planned thus far when asked if the U.S. would allow vaccinated travelers to visit America Again. (Source: Reuters)

Source https://www.interexchange.org/articles/travel-abroad/etias-authorization-for-european-travel/

Source https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/08/travel/europeans-us-travel-restrictions.html

Source https://www.travelinglifestyle.net/us-reopening-borders-to-tourism-who-can-enter/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *