US travel: the new rules after Covid test dropped

As US-bound British holidaymakers prepare for the first transatlantic summer since 2019, the pre-departure Covid test rule is about to be dropped.

At present international arrivals by air must take a Covid-19 test on the day of departure to the US, or the previous day.

But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that fully vaccinated  passengers boarding flights bound to the US from Sunday 12 June will no  longer need a pre-departure test.

The move will reduce the cost – typically around £30 – as well as the hassle for UK visitors to America this summer.

It will also cut the risk of potential disappointment if a traveller tests positive and has to cancel the trip

The CDC recommends that all travellers “get tested for current infection  with a viral test before and after they travel”. But this is not  mandatory.

Under-18s who travel to the United States with a fully vaccinated parent or guardian need not be vaccinated