Vaccination does not currently play into whether or not individuals, US citizens or otherwise, can get into the US  Shutterstock

Vaccination does not currently play into whether or not individuals, US citizens or otherwise, can get into the US  Shutterstock

Interest on the topic of travel to the United States was high on Tuesday evening, with nearly 100 participants joining Amcham Luxembourg‘s public service event. Around 40 of them, according to its chairman and CEO, Paul Schonenberg, were US-based, proving there is concern on both sides of the Atlantic.

Among top concerns: is it possible to travel for life or family events (graduations, funerals, etc.)? What about if you own real estate in the US, whether you are a citizen or not? Do you need to be vaccinated? What about PCR tests results and quarantine measures? 

US citizens

US Embassy consular chief Jackie H Meeker, who has been in her role since 2019 and in the foreign service since 2014, explained that arranging travel to the US from Luxembourg or even the Schengen zone will, in fact, depend largely on the type of traveler. 

US citizens or lawful permanent residents “can return at any time, in any circumstances, there’s never a ban on return,” Meeker explained. 

However, they will need a negative covid test in order to do so, no more than three days in advance. “The US government has made it a bit flexible, it’s not 72 hours,” Meeker added so, for example, if you fly Friday, you could be tested on Tuesday. Nevertheless, she urges even citizens to connect with airlines, which many have additional requirements they should be aware of.

Non-US citizens

US citizens’ spouses may also travel to the US under the presidential proclamation, Meeker explained, but if that spouse is traveling solo, they’ll need to bring a copy of the marriage certificate, as well as a copy of the spouse’s US passport. Children of citizens who aren’t US citizens themselves can travel, as long as they are not married and under age 21. This has been a concern for a number of parents already who want to help get their children settled into university life, for example. 

Although Luxembourg has been more welcoming to US citizens returning to their long-term Luxembourg partners, “The US has not reciprocated there. [They] do not recognise a civil partnership.”

On the other hand, those living in Schengen with an Esta or Visa are not allowed to travel for life events under the proclamation. Meeker explains, “They must have a national interest exception.” What that means, especially in times of covid, is that these individuals “provide vital support for critical infrastructure”, which tends to include emergency services, healthcare, transportation systems, etc. “Managers, executives, [etc.] for business meetings typically [generally] won’t qualify, they need to demonstrate hands-on, fixing something,” she added. An example would be a mechanic fixing a machine producing a product with a clear impact on national infrastructure.

These individuals can submit their request to the US embassy, which is looking at them on a case-by-case basis. “If granted, it’s only good for one trip into the US and if you exit, you need to be reevaluated if you want to go back...Hopefully it will be revoked at some point, but there’s no hint from Washington when that might be.”

If granted, however, Meeker urges individuals not to check-in online with airlines, as there is a different system they’ll have to follow in those exceptional cases. 

“Severely impacted” consular services 

Those holding an Esta are for visa-waiver countries, but for those who may have a passport from outside a Schengen visa-waivered country would need to contact the local embassy, once again, and “if the questions that you answer are sufficient that we believe you qualify for a national interest exception, we would then allow you to make an appointment to get a visa here at the embassy.”

Nevertheless, since the start of start of the pandemic the consular services have been “severely impacted”. Meeker says the US embassy is only conducting around 12-16 interviews for visas per month, although “if it’s urgent travel, we try to work with you as best we can.” 

One thing to note is in the fact that travel to the US is based on the location “where you were prior to entering the US”, Meeker explains. So a strategy for those desperate could be to travel “outside the Schengen area, stay there for 14 days.”

Vaccinations

So far, vaccination “does not play into travel to US”, Meeker explains, and there hasn’t been indication of a vaccination passport to date. 

In some expat circles, there has been rising frustration amongst US citizens wanting to travel back home, given the slower vaccine rollout in Europe and elsewhere. President Biden announced one day ago that “everyone 16 and older in America is eligible for the shot”. 

Whether they are able to get them, however, varies widely from state-to-state, even county-to-county or shop to shop. There have been reports of some locations requiring US state-issued IDs, which not all expats abroad will have, while others have attested that waiting outside jab centres if there are extras in case of no-shows is enough. Those wanting to try will need a negative test in any case, but each state also has its own rules and regulations regarding quarantine measures.  

Of course, as Schonenberg put it, “this is a fast-moving train”, and while the rules presented by Meeker were valid as of Tuesday evening, anything can change from day to day. 

In addition to checking the latest information from the US state department or US Embassy in Luxembourg, Meeker also urges prospective travelers not only to check health department website(s) for the state(s) of intended travel, but also with respective airlines on PCR requirements.