Airline Checklist: How to Confirm Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination

The requirements of these Orders do not apply to crew members of airlines or other aircraft operators while on official

duty status (operating aircraft or positioning/deadheading), if such crew members and operators adhere to all industry

standard protocols for the prevention of COVID-19, as set forth in Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) 20009.

First check if the passenger is a Covered Individual. Covered Individuals (i.e., noncitizen nonimmigrants) are those

who are required to present proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the U.S. from a

foreign country to meet the requirements of the

Order Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Safe Resumption of

Global Travel During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

☐ Is the passenger one of the following Covered Individuals? If so, proceed to Part 1 (proof of vaccination):

• Covered Individuals include:

o Any non-U.S. citizen seeking to enter the United States by air travel with a nonimmigrant visa listed in

“Nonimmigrant Visa Categories” on the U.S. Department of State’s Directory of Visa Categories, as well as K

nonimmigrant visa holders

o Any non-U.S. citizen seeking to enter the United States by air travel who has been granted an Electronic System

for Travel Authorization (ESTA) as part of the Visa Waiver Program

o Any non-U.S. citizen seeking to enter the United States by air travel as a nonimmigrant under the Guam-

Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands (CNMI) Visa Waiver Program

o Any non-U.S. citizen otherwise seeking to enter the United States by air travel as a nonimmigrant in any other

category exempt from the general requirement to present a nonimmigrant visa for admission (e.g., certain

Canadian nationals). 

Part 1 does not affect several groups, including:

• Non-U.S. citizens eligible for asylum

• Non-U.S. citizens eligible for withholding of removal

• Non-U.S. citizens eligible for protection under the regulations issued pursuant to the legislation implementing the

Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

• Non-U.S. citizens admitted to the United States as refugees

• Persons with a visa 92 or 93 (Follow-to-Join) status 

• Non-U.S. citizens granted parole into the United States

☐ Is the passenger one of the following noncovered individuals? If so, proceed to Part 2 (negative test

result or documentation of recovery):

• US citizens

• US nationals

• US lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders)

• Non-U.S. citizens seeking to enter the United States as immigrants (including pursuant to a Special Immigrant Visa). An

immigrant is any non-U.S. citizen who has a visa listed in “Immigrant Visa Categories” on the U.S. Department of State’s

Directory of Visa Categories; it does not include K nonimmigrant visa holders, who are Covered Individuals (see above)

• Non-US citizens seeking to enter the United States by land or sea travel

Once you have completed Part 1 (proof of vaccination) and

Part 2 (negative test or documentation of recovery), as applicable,

please proceed to Part 3 (combined passenger attestation).

Airline Checklist: How to Confirm Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination and Negative

Qualifying Test Results or Documentation of Recovery from COVID-19

Purpose: To help airlines confirm passengers’ COVID-19 vaccination (as applicable) and testing status before

they board flights to the United States, as required by Presidential Proclamation and CDC’s Orders*.

Updated November 6, 2021

Covered Individuals who do not have proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or meet the

requirements (including documentation) for an exception must be denied boarding.

Check if passenger has proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19. See checklist below.

• If passenger does not have proof of being fully vaccinated, passenger must meet criteria for an exception

to this requirement, and show appropriate documentation, to board a flight to the U.S. (See Annex for

details and documentation needed for exceptions). Exceptions to this requirement are the following:

o Certain categories of persons on diplomatic or official foreign government travel

o Children under 18 years of age

o Participants in certain COVID-19 vaccine trials

o Persons with medical contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine

o Persons issued a humanitarian or emergency exception

o Persons with valid nonimmigrant visas (excluding B-1 [business] or B-2 [tourism] visas) who are citizens of a

country with limited COVID-19 vaccine availability

o Members of the U.S. Armed Forces or their spouses or children (under 18 years of age)

o Sea crew members traveling pursuant to a C-1 and D nonimmigrant visa

o Persons whose entry would be in the U.S. national interest

How to check if passenger has proof of being full vaccinated against COVID-19:

☐ TYPE OF VACCINATION RECORD: Passenger must show acceptable proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

See table 1. All forms of proof of COVID-19 vaccination must have:

• The personal identifiers (full name plus at least one other identifier such as date of birth or passport number) on the

proof of vaccination match the personal identifiers on the passenger’s passport or other travel identification document

AND

• The name of official source issuing the record (e.g., public health agency, government agency, or other authorized

vaccine provider) is provided AND

• Vaccine manufacturer and date(s) of vaccination; see “vaccine type” and “fully vaccinated” part of checklist AND

• The passenger meets CDC’s definition of Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19. See “fully vaccinated” portion of checklist.

Table 1: Acceptable Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination

Acceptable

Documentation Type

Examples

Review Process

Verifiable records

(digital or paper)

•

Vaccination certificate with QR code‡

• Digital pass via Smartphone application with QR

code‡ (e.g., United Kingdom National Health Service

COVID Pass, European Union Digital COVID

Certificate)

•

Digitally scan or manually review the credential

to determine record was issued by an official

source (e.g., public health agency, government

agency, or other authorized vaccine provider) in

the country where the vaccine was administered

AND

• Determine if the passenger meets CDC’s

definition for fully vaccinated (see below).

Non-verifiable paper

records

•

Printout of COVID-19 vaccination record or a

COVID-19 vaccination certificate issued at national

or subnational level or by an authorized vaccine

provider

• The CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record card

•

Determine record was issued by an official source

(e.g., public health agency, government agency,

or other authorized vaccine provider) in the

country where the vaccine was

administered AND

• Check for evidence the record is genuine (e.g.,

water marks, seals, signatures, documented site

of administration) AND

• Determine if the passenger meets CDC’s

definition for fully vaccinated (see below)

Non-verifiable digital

records

•

Digital photos of vaccination card or record

• Downloaded vaccination record or vaccination

certificate from official source (e.g., public health

agency, government agency, or other authorized

vaccine provider)

•

A mobile phone application without a QR code‡

Part 1: PROOF OF VACCINATION: Covered Individual Passenger Must Present Proof of

COVID-19 Vaccination to Board or Meet Criteria for an Exception to this Requirement

☐ VACCINE TYPE: Passenger must show accepted type of COVID-19 vaccine.

Accepted COVID-19 vaccines are vaccines currently either authorized for emergency use or approved by the U.S. Food

and Drug Administration, or are emergency use listed or approved by the World Health Organization. See table 2.

Table 2: Accepted COVID-19 Vaccines

Number of doses

Vaccines Approved or Authorized for Emergency

Use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Vaccines Listed for Emergency Use by World Health

Organization

Single dose

• Janssen/J&J

-dose series

• Pfizer-BioNTech

• Moderna

• Pfizer-BioNTech

• Moderna

• AstraZeneca

• Covaxin

• Covishield

• BIBP/Sinopharm

• Sinovac

☐ FULLY VACCINATED: Passenger must meet CDC’s definition of fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Any of the five options below are accepted.

• Option 1: 2 weeks (14 days) or more since a person received one dose of an accepted single-dose-series COVID-19

vaccine (e.g., Janssen/J&J) OR

• Option 2: 2 weeks (14 days) or more since a person’s second dose in a 2-dose series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine

(see table 2) OR

• Option 3: 2 weeks (14 days) since a person received the full series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine (not placebo) in

a clinical trial; OR

• Option 4: 2 weeks (14 days) since a person received the full series of a Novavax (or Covavax) COVID-19 vaccine (not

placebo) in a phase 3 clinical trial; OR

• Option 5: 2 weeks (14 days) or more since the person received 2 doses of any “mix and match” combination

of accepted COVID-19 vaccines listed in Table 2 administered at least 17 days apart.

A full 14 days must have passed since the day the COVID-19 vaccine series was completed. For example, if the vaccine

series was completed on the first day of the month, the person is fully vaccinated on the 15th of that month.

Covered Individuals who can comply with Part 1 must also comply with Part 2. Proceed to Part 2.

☐OPTION A or B: Check if passenger intends to show a negative COVID-19 test result (option A) or

documentation of recovery (option B). See checklist below. There are specific requirements for each option.

Individuals who do not have a negative COVID-19 viral test result in the required time frame or documentation

of recovery from COVID-19 or meet criteria for an exemption must be denied boarding.

• If passenger does not present documents needed for option A or B, passenger must meet criteria for an

exemption to this requirement, and show appropriate documentation, to board a flight to the U.S.

Exemptions to this requirement are the following:

o Children under 2 years of age

o Air crew on official duty

o U.S. federal law enforcement personnel traveling for purposes of carrying out a law enforcement function

(recommended to present letter from employer stating they meet criteria for the exemption)

o Members of the U.S. military traveling on official orders

o Those with humanitarian exemptions approved by CDC (must present official CDC letter)

Part 2: NEGATIVE TEST OR Documentation OF RECOVERY: Passenger Must Show a

Negative COVID-19 Viral Test Result or Documentation of Recovery from COVID-19 or

Meet Criteria for an Exemption to this Requirement

Passenger must meet all 5 requirements to verify option A:

☐ 1. TYPE OF TEST: The test must be a viral test. The following types of viral COVID-19 tests can be used:

Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT)

In addition to NAAT, phrases indicating a NAAT§ could include, but are not limited to:

• Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)

• Isothermal amplification including:

o Nicking endonuclease amplification reaction (NEAR)

o Transcription mediated amplification (TMA)

o Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)

o Helicase-dependent amplification (HDA)

o Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)

o Strand displacement amplification (SDA)

Antigen tests

Phrases indicating an antigen test could include, but are not limited to:

• Rapid antigen test

• Viral antigen test

• Also, could be noted as Antigen Chromatographic Digital Immunoassay¶, Antigen Chemiluminescence Immunoassay¶,

or Antigen Lateral Flow Fluorescence

Note: Antibody or serology tests# are different and NOT allowed.

☐ 2. WHERE TEST WAS RUN: The test must include where the test was performed.

Include information such as the name and contact information for the laboratory or healthcare personnel who

performed the test.

☐ 3. TIMING: The test must show a specimen collection date 1 day or 3 days (depending on vaccination status)

or less before flight departure.

The Order defines a timeframe by days instead of hours to provide more flexibility to the traveler. See table 3.

Table 3: Timing of Specimen Collection Date (1 day or 3 days) According to Vaccination Status

1 day or less before departure

3 days or less before departure

• Passengers 18 or older without proof of being fully vaccinated (see part 1)

• Passengers 2-17 years of age without proof of being fully vaccinated if traveling with one

or more parents/guardians who are not fully vaccinated or traveling unaccompanied

Note: If a child who is not fully vaccinated is traveling with one fully vaccinated parent and one not fully

vaccinated parent,

or is traveling unaccompanied, the child must show a negative result for test taken

within 1 day before departure.

• All passengers showing proof of

being fully vaccinated (see part 1)

• Passengers 2-17 years of age

without proof of full vaccination

only if traveling with fully

vaccinated parent(s)

☐ 4. IDENTIFICATION: The test must include information that identifies the person.

Must have person’s name and at least one additional identifier.

• Additional identifiers could include but are not limited to date of birth, age, and passport number.

• Check that identifiers on the test match those on the passenger’s other identifying documents

(such as passport or driver’s license).

☐ 5. NEGATIVE: The test result must be negative. Results marked “invalid” are not accepted.

Words or phrases describing a negative test could include, but are not limited to:

• NEGATIVE

• UNDETECTABLE

• SARS-CoV-2 RNA NOT DETECTED

• SARS-CoV-2 ANTIGEN NOT DETECTED

• COVID-19 NOT DETECTED

• NOT REACTIVE

Part 2, Option A: Passenger Shows a Negative COVID-19 Test Result

Passenger must meet all 6 requirements to verify option B:

☐ 1. TYPE OF TEST: The test is a viral test. See guidance in Part 2, Option A, #1 (Type of Test).

☐ 2. WHERE TEST WAS RUN: The test must include where the test was performed.

Include information such as the name and contact information for the laboratory or healthcare personnel who

performed the test.

☐ 3. TIMING: The test must show a specimen collection date within the last 90 days.

Tests older than 90 days don’t qualify for Part 2, option B—passenger must satisfy the requirements of Part 2, option A.

☐ 4. IDENTIFICATION: The test must include information that identifies the person. See guidance in Option A, #4

(Identification).

☐ 5. POSITIVE: The test result must be positive. Results marked “invalid” are not accepted.

Phrases describing a positive test include, but are not limited to:

• POSITIVE

• POSITIVE-SARS-CoV-2 RNA DETECTED

• SARS-CoV-2 ANTIGEN DETECTED

• COVID-19 DETECTED

• REACTIVE

☐ 6. SIGNED LETTER: Must also have a signed letter stating the passenger is cleared for travel.

• From a licensed healthcare provider or a public health official

• Must be signed and on official letterhead that shows the name, address, and phone number of the

healthcare provider or public health official

• Does not need to specify travel—a letter that clears the person to end isolation

(e.g., to return to work or school)

can be used

All passengers (unless non-covered and exempted from the testing requirement) must also comply with

Part 3 (combined passenger attestation). Proceed to Part 3.

To ease the burden for airlines and aircraft operators, CDC has provided a combined passenger disclosure and

attestation that all air passengers (or their legal representative) boarding a flight to the United States must complete

and sign.

☐ COVERED INDIVIDUALS: Ensure that all Covered Individuals (i.e., noncitizen, nonimmigrant) have completed

and signed Section 1 AND Section 2 of the Combined Passenger Disclosure and Attestation

☐ NON-COVERED INDIVIDUALS: Ensure that all Non-Covered Individuals (i.e., US Citizens, US Nationals, Lawful

Permanent Residents, Immigrants, etc.) two years of age or older have completed and signed Section 1 of the

Combined Passenger Disclosure and Attestation

Certain non-covered individuals do not have to complete Section 1 of the Combined Passenger Disclosure and

Attestation. They include:

Part 2, Option B: Passenger Shows Documentation of Recovery from COVID-19

Part 3: COMBINED PASSENGER ATTESTATION: Passengers Must Complete and Sign

Attestation

• Passengers younger than 2 years of age

• Air crew on official duty

• U.S. federal law enforcement personnel traveling for purposes of carrying out a law enforcement function

(recommended to present letter from employer stating they meet criteria for the exemption)

• Members of the U.S. military traveling on official orders

Notes: *Orders: Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Safe Resumption of Global Travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Amended Order: Requirement for

Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test Result or Recovery from COVID-19 for All Airline Passengers Arriving into the United Sates

†Deadhead status: When crew member is on the “clock” and their time and movement are directed by the airline or aircraft operator either into, from, or between

operational assignments.

‡The QR code in a verifiable vaccination record links to information confirming the credential was generated from an immunization record in an official database and

is protected from tampering.

§ Other words or phrases indicating the test is a NAAT: Ct (cycle threshold); RNA (Ribonucleic acid); Sequencing; Next generational sequencing (NGS) or whole

genome sequencing (WGS); Oxford Nanopore sequencing (LamPORE); Detection of the N gene; Detection of Orf1a/b; Detection of the S gene; Detection of the E

gene; and Detection of the RdRp gene.

¶ Not all immunoassays or lateral flow tests are antigen tests. Antibody testing can also be conducted using these methods. If immunoassays or lateral flow tests are

listed, check if the test was an antigen test. Antibody tests are not allowed.

# Indications of antibody tests could include, but are not limited to: total antibody, IgG, and IgM. Antibody tests are not allowed.

For Proof of Vaccination (Part 1):

• Order: Implementing Presidential Proclamation on Safe Resumption of Global Travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic:

www.cdc.gov/quarantine/order-safe-travel.html

• Technical Instructions for Implementing Presidential Proclamation Advancing Safe Resumption of Global Travel during the

COVID-19 Pandemic and CDC’s Order: www.cdc.gov/quarantine/order-safe-travel/technical-instructions.html

• Aircraft Operators/Airlines/Crew FAQs: www.cdc.gov/quarantine/order-safe-travel/airline-faqs.html

For Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test Result or Proof of Recovery from COVID-19 (Part 2):

• Amended Order: Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test Result or Recovery from COVID-19:

hwww.cdc.gov/quarantine/fr-proof-negative-test.html

• Aircraft Operators/Airlines/Crew FAQs: www.cdc.gov/quarantine/fr-airline-faqs.html

For Combined Passenger Attestation (Part 3):

• Combined Passenger Disclosure and Attestation: www.cdc.gov/quarantine/pdf/combined-passenger-attestation-p.pdf