DOS Update: COVID-19 Travel Restrictions and Exceptions

The Proclamations do not apply to:

  • U.S. citizens;
  • lawful permanent residents;
  • spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents;
  • parents or legal guardians of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident unmarried minor child;
  • siblings of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident child, provided both are unmarried and under the age of 21;
  • air and sea crewmembers;
  • U.S. noncitizen nationals (not applicable to Proclamations 9984 (China) and 9992(Iran));
  • diplomats;
  • any noncitizen who is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and any noncitizen who is a spouse or child of a member of the U.S. Armed Forces;
  • certain U.S. Government invitees for the purpose of the containment or mitigation of COVID-19; and;
  • certain travelers whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their designees.The Secretary of State has determined that the entry of the following travelers is in the national interest for purposes of exceptions to all four proclamations. The Secretary may revise these national interest determinations as circumstances warrant.

These three categories of travelers are automatically considered for National Interest Exception (NIE) at the Port of Entry and do not require advance approval of a NIE from an embassy or consulate.

    • immigrants of all categories (not applicable to Proclamation 10199, which only covers nonimmigrant travel);
    • fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens and their dependents (K visas);
    • Students (F and M visas) as described here;
    • New or returning students present in China, Brazil, Iran, South Africa, or India may arrive  no earlier than 30 days before the start of an academic program beginning August 1, 2021or after, including optional practical training (OPT);

DOS link: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/covid-19-travel-restrictions-and-exceptions.html