White House to Drop COVID-19 Testing Requirement for International Travel

Travel insights from Jenna Buege, associate editor of The Compass

Jenna Buege Published June 10, 2022

On June 10th, 2022, the Biden administration announced plans to lift COVID-19 testing requirements for inbound international air travelers. The mandate is set to expire Sunday, June 12th at 12:01 a.m. as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention dubbed the requirement as no longer necessary.

The change came after members of the travel industry, including many major airlines, repeatedly pressured the administration to remove the requirement, arguing that it was hurting the demand for international travel.

A senior administration official noted that the agency will continuously reevaluate the need for a testing requirement every 90 days in the case that a concerning new variant emerges. “If there is a need to reinstate pre-departure testing requirement — including due to a new, concerning variant — CDC will not hesitate to act,” said the official.

About the Author

Jenna Buege is a Milwaukee-based writer and editor who loves exploring the great outdoors, spending time with her two black cats and jetting off on exciting, sometimes strange, adventures. She joined the VAX VacationAccess team in 2018 and takes pride in being a reliable source for travel advisors as they navigate an ever-changing industry. Her favorite destination so far is Iceland, although Alaska and Germany are close seconds, and she’s always adding new places to her ever-growing travel wish list.