Where Can Americans Travel and Get a Coronavirus Test on Arrival, at the Airport? First, a quick reminder that the U.S. State Department Advisory is still at Level 4, Do Not Travel. Most countries remain closed to U.S. visitors, unless they're dual citizens or have permanent residence in the foreign country they're returning to, due to the continued high numbers of new coronavirus cases and community spread in the U.S.
That said, some want to visit family or loved ones abroad, and there have been a number of couples separated by the border closures. And for those affected by lock downs in spring, such as in New York, it's understandable that after months in often cramped apartments, there's a strong desire to travel, albeit as safely as possible.
Here are the current places we're aware of where you can get tested on arrival at the airport, and not have to take a COVID-19 test prior to flying. Keep in mind that you will need to quarantine in your destination until receiving a negative result, if the airport coronavirus test doesn't return results while waiting at the airport:
Alaska
Alaska requires visitors and returning residents to either provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (taken within the 72 hours prior to departure for Alaska) or take a test upon arrival at the Anchorage airport ANC, and quarantine until the test results are received. It's best to register in advance for Anchorage Airport COVID-19 testing. Note that it could take 72 hours to several days to obtain the results, so pre-arrival testing is still best to entirely avoid the state's mandatory 14-day quarantine.
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Aruba (Select U.S. States Only)
Aruba allows the option to take a PCR test at the airport, but it's only available to residents of states that are not experiencing high outbreaks of coronavirus. At time of writing, residents of the following states are NOT eligible for the airport testing option: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Residents of all other states are eligible to take a PCR test on arrival at the Aruba airport AUA, at the cost of $75 per person, which must be prepaid as part of the disembarkation process. Children age 14 and younger are not required to take the test.
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Barbados
Barbados requires arrivals to either have a negative COVID-19 PCR-RT test result from an accredited facility 72 hours prior to travel or to take a test upon arrival at the airport, and quarantine at their own expense until the test results are received, typically ~48 hours.
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Belize (Reopens August 15, 2020)
Belize encourages travelers to take a COVID-19 test prior to travel; it must be taken within the 72 hours prior to travel to Belize for the negative result to be valid and utilize the fast track lane at the airport upon arrival.
Travelers who are unable to get tested prior to travel must be tested at the airport; the traveler will pay for the cost of testing, and the cost hasn't yet been announced. The results take 15-30 minutes, and if the results are negative, travelers may proceed to their booked accommodation.
If the results are positive, the traveler will be placed in mandatory 14 day quarantine, which will be at the traveler's expense. Only after the traveler receives two negative test results at the end of the 14 days will s/he be allowed to leave mandatory quarantine. Note that children are also required to either have a negative COVID-19 test result or be tested at the airport on arrival.
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Dominican Republic
Effective July 30, 2020, the Dominican Republic is requiring either a negative PCR test taken within the 5 days prior to entering the country, or undertake a Covid-19 test when arriving at the airport.
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Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico strongly recommends that arrivals obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test within the 72 hours prior to arrival, to avoid the 14 day quarantine. That said, if an asymptomatic traveler arrives without a negative test result, s/he will receive a Testing Authorization Voucher to get tested locally. The traveler must remain quarantined after getting tested and while waiting for results. If the test is negative, quarantine is lifted.
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Russia (Potentially)
Russia isn't open to U.S. visitors yet, but is opening to UK citizens from August 1, 2020 (with a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken no more than 48 hours prior to arrival), and may open to U.S. visitors by September 2020. Sheremetyevo Airport SVO opened express testing at Terminal D for domestic and international flights for a cost of ~EUR 33, with results available within 60 minutes. It's not clear yet whether this express testing will later be able to substitute for the currently required pre-flight negative test result for international arrivals.
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St. Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, effective August 1, 2020, requires arrivals from outside the CARICOM bubble (certain other Caribbean nations) to either arrive with a negative COVID-19 PCR result from a test administered within the 5 days prior to arrival, or be tested on arrival. After being tested, the traveler must proceed to his/her accommodation and remain quarantined there for 24 hours while waiting for the test result.
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Know other destinations where an American traveler may be tested on arrival, without having to be tested pre-departure? Let us know in the comments.
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