The US Homeland Security Department confirmed that starting 12 May, it will no longer require non-US travellers entering via land ports of entry and ferries to be vaccinated against Covid and provide proof of vaccination upon request.

The update will bring to an end restrictions on international travel that have remained for a number of years.

A requirement for travellers flying to the US to show proof of negative Covid test was dropped last June but vaccination requirements for most foreign travellers were kept in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In February, the US House of Representatives voted to lift the requirement for most non-US nationals.

A White House statement released on Monday (1 May) said the US was “in a different phase of our response to Covid-19 than we were when many of these requirements were put into place”.  

Geoff Freeman, president and chief executive of the US Travel Association, said the rule change “eases a significant entry barrier for many global travellers, moving our industry and country forward”.

Freeman urged the full return of international travel to the US be “as efficient and secure as possible” calling on the US government, airports and customs “to meet the growing demand for entry”.