From November: Vaccinated people will soon be able to travel to the USA again

The US wants to lift its entry ban for Europeans in November for vaccinated people. But how exactly this will work and what evidence must be presented is still unclear.

In the US news, the new travel regulations for Europeans are a bit of a news. But they are linked to the question of whether US President Joe Biden is trying to get one step closer to the European allies. Biden’s spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, rules out any connection between a relaxed entry and reports of a battered transatlantic relationship because of the submarine crisis with France or the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

If we had wanted to make life easy for ourselves, we would have announced the new rules before the President’s first trip abroad. But our deliberations are only now complete. We wanted to let the public know when we come to a science-based conclusion, and that’s where we are now.

For months, representatives of the European Commission and French President Manuel Macron had urged the US government to lift existing restrictions. Yesterday, the White House confirmed that foreign citizens, including Europeans from the Schengen area and Brits who are fully vaccinated against Corona, will be able to return to the USA in a few weeks.

Rule from the Trump era repealed

The US government is thus repealing a regulation that the elected President Donald Trump had enacted 18 months ago as a result of the corona pandemic. “In order to keep new cases away from our coasts, we are suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. These rules will be adjusted based on the current situation,” said Trump at the time.

Days became months. Last January, Trump lifted the travel restrictions for a short time – after which Biden put them back in place. Only US citizens, holders of a green card and immediate family members were allowed to enter. Everyone else needed special permission. The EU had already asked its member states in the summer to gradually lift restrictions on travelers from the USA and several other countries – and have only partially tightened the recommendation since then.

All uncertainties have not yet been eliminated

In the case of US travel, the announced easing does not remove all uncertainties. After the statement by the US government, one question in particular emerged: What vaccinations will US authorities accept for travelers? Do vaccines that are not even approved in the USA, such as vaccines from China, also apply? What about cross vaccinations that are common in Germany but not so far in the USA?

This is all part of the work to be done. The requirement will be implemented at the beginning of November. And the legitimate question of how the proof of vaccination works will be discussed in the remaining time between the authorities involved.

The US and its allies in Europe are on the way to normalizing their tense relationship – at least on this point.