Negative COVID Test required for travelers from China

By: Diya A. Mathews

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that they will begin requesting recovery documentation or negative COVID-19 test for air travelers boarding flights out of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau to the United States. Such pre-departure testing is believed to slow the spread of COVID-19 and different variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus around the world. In addition, it would also decrease the number of infected air passengers boarding airplanes. 

Starting January 5, 2023, such tests will be required for any air passenger two years of age and older coming from the PRC, Hong Kong or Macau. Testing must demonstrate negative results and made no more than two days before departure. This requirement:

• • Will apply to any air passenger regardless of nationality or vaccination status. 
• • Will apply to air passengers traveling from PRC via third country transit and to those connecting through the United States to further destinations. 
• • Will also apply to any passenger transiting through Incheon International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport while on their way to the United States if they have been in the PRC in the last 10 days. 

Any passenger who tested positive 10 days prior to their flight may provide a recovery document from COVID-19 instead of the negative test result. Before boarding or denying boarding, airlines must confirm negative COVID-19 test result or recovery documentation. 

In addition, CDC will be expanding the voluntary Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program (TGS), which helps detect new and rare variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. TGS collects nasal swabs anonymously from arriving international travelers on selected flights at major U.S. airports. 

For any questions regarding how this new travel policy may affect you, please contact your trusted Chugh, LLP immigration professional.