US Covid-19 test requirement for travelers: what you need to know

(CNN) – Earlier this week, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that starting Tuesday, January 26, all air passengers aged two years and older must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test for enter the United States.

The new rule includes US citizens and lawful permanent residents.

“The order created a lot of anxiety, partly because the time lag between the announcement and when it goes into effect is so short and partly because it’s unclear exactly what it meant,” says he.

U.S. residents who are currently abroad or planning to go abroad and return on January 26 or later, as well as international travelers who are expected to visit the United States, have many questions about what they must do to ensure their entry into the country, says Harteveldt.

In addition, some resorts and local governments are working to prepare to offer testing for travelers to the United States.

The questions – from the type of negative Covid-19 test you need to what documentation you need to show when at the airport and to whom – are addressed below:

Answers to test questions in the United States

What type of Covid-19 test is considered acceptable for travelers?

How far in advance can I get tested before entering the country?

The test time does not exceed three days before your flight.

CDC spokeswoman Caitlin Shockey said that if you are flying on a connecting flight in the United States, a valid test is one that is not completed more than three days before your flight departs to the United States. United States, but only if the entire trip was passenger record.

In addition, each stopover between these connections cannot last more than 24 hours.

If your connecting flight to the United States was booked separately or if your connection is longer, you must be tested within three days of your last flight departing for the United States.

If you are traveling out of the country for less than three days, you can take a test in the United States before you depart and use it for your return or take a quick test before your flight home.

If your flight is delayed beyond the three day window, you must pass another test to board your flight.

What happens if I now travel abroad and return after January 26?

It doesn’t matter when you leave, according to Shockey: If you return to the United States on or after January 26, you will need to take a test and show proof of Covid-19 negative before you are allowed to board.

I am visiting an American territory, should I be tested?

No, U.S. territories and U.S. possessions are exempt, according to the CDC.

If I live in the United States and have to pay for an exam while I’m abroad, will my health insurance cover it?

It depends on your insurance plan, says Zach Honig, the editor of travel site The Points Guy.

But Honig says you absolutely must ask for a refund. “It never hurts to ask,” he says.

Who checks the test results at the airport?

It depends on the destination, but you’ll likely be asked for documentation of a negative test result from the first airline employee you come into contact with when you’re at the airport, Harteveldt says.

This can be at the box office if you are checking your baggage or with the agent at the gate if you do not have checked baggage.

Airlines must confirm the negative test result for all passengers before boarding and must deny boarding to anyone who does not provide documentation of a negative test or proof of having recovered from Covid-19, according to the CDC.

Honig says the new warrant may mean you won’t be able to check in online for your flight to the United States. “You’ll need to check in at the airport, so make sure you arrive early to give yourself plenty of time to do so,” he says.

I fly to the United States in a private plane. Does this new requirement apply to me?

Yes, the order applies to both commercial and private flights, according to the CDC.

What kind of documentation should I show?

The CDC requires flyers to have a hard or electronic copy of their negative test results.

Harteveldt strongly recommends that travelers have a hard copy of their negative test results rather than having them just on their phones.

“It can be difficult for an officer to read the document on your phone, and you don’t want to give them an excuse not to take you on,” he says.

I already had Covid-19. What kind of documentation do I need?

If you have recovered from Covid-19 in the past three months, you will need both proof that you tested positive in the past three months before your flight and a letter from your doctor stating that you are authorized to travel.

If you recovered from the virus more than three months ago, the CDC’s Shockey says you’ll need to retest and show proof of negative results before you are allowed to board your plane.

I received the Covid-19 vaccine. Do I still have to test?

Yes, the same requirements apply.

How do I find a local testing site while I’m abroad?

It will vary by country, but Honig strongly recommends that you ensure that you will be able to take a test at destination before you leave the United States. “It can be difficult in some places to get tested, so it’s important to get confirmation from a location before your trip,” he says.

You can find a test location by asking your hotel before your trip or by checking the destination’s official tourism website.

Additionally, over the past week, a growing number of hotels, especially in destinations popular with US travelers, have started offering on-site testing.

In Saint Lucia, for example, more than 20 properties and villas will offer free quick tests.

Baha Mar in the Bahamas offers rapid tests for $ 25 and PCR tests for $ 125. At La Colección resorts throughout the Dominican Republic and Mexico, rapid tests are free. And at Curtain Bluff in Antigua, the test costs $ 250 per person for PCR or rapid test results.

The return time for test results varies by property.

Do airlines allow passengers to change their flight to be able to arrive in the United States before the test requirements go into effect?

Some allow free changes, including removing the fare difference.

Delta, for example, is waiving the fare difference until February 9 for customers who had booked international travel to the United States until February 9, if they changed their bookings to begin on or before January 25.

American Airlines and United Airlines are also waiving the fare difference for customers due to the new requirements.

With American, customers with flights scheduled for Jan. 12 through Feb. 9 can change reservations free of charge if they depart and arrive from destinations with their original ticket. However, their trips must begin no later than January 25.

With United, the fare difference will be waived for travelers who re-book international tickets purchased on or before January 12 for travel scheduled within the United States through February 15.

My test result came back positive. Now what?

Shockey says you should self-isolate and delay travel if symptoms develop or the pre-departure test result is positive until you recover from Covid-19.

Top photo: Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images