Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt

November 4, 2021Location: Worldwide  Event: On October 25, President Biden announced the United States will adopt a global air travel policy.  This policy prioritizes public health, protecting U.S. citizens and residents as well as those who come to visit us.  Effective November 8 all non-citizen, nonimmigrant (not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or traveling to the United States on an immigrant visa) airline passengers traveling to the United States, must demonstrate proof of vaccination as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Order prior to boarding a U.S. bound aircraft. More details regarding what constitutes full vaccination are available on this page of the CDC website.Fully vaccinated travelers will continue to be required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within three (3) days of travel to the United States prior to boarding.  This applies to all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals.  To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travelers – whether U.S. citizens, LPRs, or the small number of excepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to test within one (1) day of departure.  Additional information may be found on CDC’s website. Passengers will need to show their vaccination status, and airlines will need to:

  • Match the name and date of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination.
  • Determine that the record was issued by an official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency) in the country where the vaccine was given.
  • Review the essential information for determining if the passenger meets CDC’s definition for fully vaccinated such as vaccine product, number of vaccine doses received, date(s) of administration, site (e.g., vaccination clinic, healthcare facility) of vaccination.

Airlines must deny boarding to passengers who do not meet these requirements or those who test positive for COVID-19.   For additional information or if you have specific questions, please contact your airline and visit the CDC’s website. NOTE: U.S. citizens in countries where adequate COVID-19 testing is not available or who may not be able to satisfy the requirements, should be prepared to remain in place until such time as they can meet the requirements. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo makes every effort to offer sufficient appointments for U.S. citizens in Egypt to receive passport and other American Citizens Services despite restrictions on occupancy rates, social distancing mandates, and other restrictions in Egypt related to the COVID pandemic.  Please consult the U.S. Embassy website for further information on passport services in Egypt.  You can schedule a non-emergency appointment directly through our online system by visiting our website.As a reminder, most passport renewals for adults do not require an in-person appearance.  If you are eligible to use Form DS-82 or Form DS-5504, then you may be able renew your U.S. passport by mail.  Please visit Adult Passport Renewal by Mail for details of eligibility, application requirements, and where to send your application.If you require more urgent services please contactConsularCairoACS@state.govto request an emergency appointment, and be prepared to provide proof of your emergency such as a purchased plane ticket. The Embassy will announce the resumption of full consular services when resources and local conditions allow.  We appreciate your patience and regret the inconvenience.The U.S. Embassy in Cairo encourages U.S. citizens seeking COVID-19 medical information to review the Government of Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population’s social media accounts at https://www.facebook.com/egypt.mohp/  (Arabic only).  The Government of Egypt has also provided a COVID-19 dedicated hotline at 105 15335 or 15469 for additional inquiries (Arabic proficiency recommended).

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