Trump Europe-US Travel Ban FAQ

Trump Europe-US Travel Ban FAQ

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Trump's Europe to U.S. Travel Ban Will Suspend Entry to the U.S. for foreign visitors who have been in certain European countries in the 14 days prior to arriving in the U.S. This new ban is in addition to the previous restrictions on travel into the U.S. from Iran and mainland China.

When Does the Ban Take Effect? How Long Is It For?

The ban goes into effect midnight, Friday March 13, 2020 and is for 30 days.

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Who the Travel Ban Applies to and Doesn't Apply To

The ban affects all foreigners who have been in European Schengen countries within 14 days prior to arriving in the U.S.

The ban does not affect foreign visitors who have not been in any of the designated European countries for 14 days prior to arrival. It also doesn't prevent U.S. citizens, immediate family members of citizens, or legal permanent residents who have been in Europe immediately prior to arrival from entering the country, but they do have to enter at one of the airports set up to screen passengers.

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Which European Countries are Affected?

The travel ban targets the 26 European countries in the Schengen area: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

It does NOT include the UK, Ireland, or countries outside the Schengen area, although could later be amended to include them if coronavirus infection rates rise.

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Can't Foreigners Simply Travel via the UK or Another Unaffected Country?

As of now, yes; although if they're traveling on a passport from a Schengen country, they will likely need to be able to show that they haven't been in any of the banned countries for 15 days or more, which could be quite impractical if they're not already residing outside of the Schengen area.

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Are U.S. Citizens Banned from Going to Europe?

There isn't an outright ban on U.S. citizens going to Europe, although Trump has threatened that any U.S. citizens testing positive for coronavirus in Europe won't be allowed to come home. And practically speaking, it could be challenging to find flights between the European Schengen countries and the U.S. during the 30 day ban, as airlines cancel most flights.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents returning from Europe will be asked to self quarantine for 14 days.

Separately, the U.S. State Department has put out a Global Level 3 Health Advisory to reconsider all travel abroad.

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Which Airports Will U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents Have to Arrive At?

Regardless of where a passenger's original ticket was to in the U.S., U.S. citizens and permanent residents will need to first arrive at one of the following airports; the booked airline will be responsible for rerouting the passenger to one of the following airports:

  • Atlanta: Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
  • Dallas-Fort Worth: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
  • Detroit: Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
  • Newark, New Jersey: Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
  • Honolulu: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
  • New York City: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
  • Los Angeles: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
  • Chicago: Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
  • Seattle: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
  • San Francisco: San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
  • Washington, D.C.: Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD)

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Will Airlines Refund Non-Refundable Tickets if the Passenger No Longer Qualifies for Entry?

Unfortunately I wouldn't assume this with all carriers. The best chance of getting a refund is if the airline cancels the flight, since the passenger should be given a full refund in that case.

Many airlines already have waivers permitting one free change due to the coronavirus, so if that is the case, it may be possible to change one's ticket to a much later date for no penalty.

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Will the new Europe-U.S. travel ban and 14 day self quarantine if returning from Europe impact your travel?

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Peggy
Peggy
4 years ago

I’m currently on a guided tour through Switzerland and the return flight was to leave from Milan on Sunday but will now leave from Zurich (the origination point), losing a day scheduled for Lugano. I just heard Broadway theaters will shut down for 30 days and hope that won’t need to be extended since we have plans to see shows at the end of April. I have Norway scheduled for May and am thinking I probably won’t make that given the speed with which the virus is spreading.