Planning to go on a trip? Here are some international travel restrictions to keep in mind!

After years of staying mostly indoors due to the pandemic, many people are eager to finally resume their vacation plans and travel the world. However, unlike pre-pandemic times, travelers must now be aware of their desired destination’s travel restrictions before booking their flights. 

Travel regulations for each country can change from time to time, so it’s important to stay up to date with them to avoid being caught unprepared. It's essential for people traveling from every part of the world to be informed about the international travel restrictions, including travelers from the U.S. 

So, to help you decide where your next vacation spot will be, we’re providing you with a comprehensive list of various countries’ travel restrictions involving COVID-19 tests, quarantine, and overall requirements as of March 2023 for visitors from the U.S.

Negative COVID-19 tests requirement

If you’re from the U.S. and planning to go to one of the countries listed below, you must present a negative COVID-19 test result upon arrival. Common COVID-19 tests include the antigen test and various methods of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) such as reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Most of the countries listed below will accept visitors regardless of their vaccination status, but some will require their visitors to be vaccinated.

No vaccination requirements:

The test must be taken within 24 hours before departure:

• Central African Republic
• Kiribati

The test must be taken within 48 hours before departure:

• Angola
• China
• Equatorial Guinea
• Hong Kong
• Macau
• Solomon Islands 

The test must be taken within 72 hours before departure:

• Caribbean
• Netherlands
• Guinea-Bissau
• Lesotho
• Palestinian Territories
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Suriname 

The test must be taken within 96 hours before departure:

• Sudan 

Requires proof of vaccination: 

The test must be taken within 24 hours before departure:

• Saint Martin  
• Tonga 

The test must be taken within 72 hours before departure:

• Federated States of Micronesia  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that travelers get tested for COVID-19 within 3 days before departure or as close as possible to the traveler’s time of departure. If your COVID-19 test result comes up positive, it’s best to stay home and postpone your trip in the meantime.

Quarantine requirement

The following countries require visitors from the U.S. to quarantine for a specific period upon arrival, along with negative COVID-19 test results and/or vaccination records.

• East Timor 
  • Accepts vaccinated visitors.
  • There is no need for negative COVID-19 tests (unless otherwise required by the airline).
  • Vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors must quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. Unvaccinated travelers will be directed to quarantine facilities chosen by the Ministry of Health.
• Niger
  • Accepts visitors regardless of vaccination status.
  • Travelers must present a negative RT-PCR (NAAT) or antigen test taken within 72 hours before departing to Niger.
  • Visitors must quarantine for 7 days upon arrival; however, fully vaccinated individuals and those with negative COVID-19 results may be exempt from quarantine. 

Closed to the Public with Limited Visitor Acceptance

The countries below are closed for travel regardless of vaccination status. However, exceptions may be made for visitors with special circumstances. 

• Libya
• Nauru (Individuals who wish to travel to the country may apply for an exemption from its  government)
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Wallis and Futuna
• Western Sahara
• Yemen

Open for travel

Aside from the countries listed above, nearly 200 countries around the world including Brazil, France, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom are open for travel and no longer require COVID-19 testing or quarantine from visitors. However, each country may have different requirements for visitors’ vaccination status, so make sure you’ve got that figured out before heading off to your dream destination. 

While some places do not require you to be fully vaccinated, the CDC highly encourages travelers to get their COVID-19 vaccines and boosters to protect others from illness and hospitalization. Furthermore, be sure to follow other safety instructions such as wearing masks and social distancing in public and transportation spaces if required in your chosen country. 

For more information on your destination’s specific travel requirements, you may visit websites like kayak.com which offer easy and efficient ways to look up international travel restrictions by country. 

You can input your country of origin, destination, and vaccination status for quicker results. Additionally, you can utilize the filter function so you can narrow down and specify your desired results based on regions, countries, vaccination status, COVID-19 policies, and so on. Most of all, the information published on kayak is updated daily.

Before you travel, it’s important to be well-informed about the place you wish to visit because this will help you plan ahead and prepare for the travel requirements. Failure to comply with your chosen destination’s travel regulations may result in delays and complications in your plans, so it’s important to stay on top of things for a successful, stress-free trip. 

Regardless of your chosen destination, remember to be a responsible traveler to make the most out of your trip!