The US May End Travel Ban On European Visitors

In case you don’t get your news via Twitter, The United States has been mostly closed to visitors from Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Brazil, since mid March, 2020. A series of Presidential Proclamations banned most non US citizens, limiting entry only to select visa holders and immediate family members.

People in Europe and Brazil can’t currently enter the USA without jumping through major hoops, like first spending 14 days in a non barred country, despite lower or equal rates of covid-19 risks at present.

In the first major signal that times are a’changing, Reuters reports that officials speaking on the condition of anonymity indicate the end of European travel bans are imminent, pending a final series of sign offs, including from the President.

European Travel Ban

Reuters exclusively reports that senior officials in the Trump Administration have readied moves to terminate current European travel bans, which bar the vast majority of travelers from visiting the USA, if they’ve been in Ireland, 26 European countries or the United Kingdom in the last 14 days.

Basically, your British, Irish, European and Brazilian friends would be able to visit again. The move would also include visitors from Brazil, but not those from China or Iran.

According to the reports, The White House Coronavirus Task Force has signed off on rescinding the Presidential Proclamations, and a final decision from President Trump is the last domino before an announcement could be made.

Assuming the proposals to end the ban aren’t just an exercise for amusement, the next step would be setting a date from which travelers from these areas would once again be eligible to enter. Traveling to the USA from these areas is brutally complicated right now, and travelers must be citizens, immediate family members of a US citizen, or have a specific exemption or visa category.

The March travel bans came into virtually immediate effect, throwing air travel into utter chaos as rule changes caught passengers in mid flight, but conversely, they could just as easily be ended with immediate effect too.

2021 Travel Is Looking Up

The US State Department dropped ‘do not travel’ advisories warning against all international travel in August, and Presidential Proclamations are the last obstacle standing in the way of European, Irish, Brazilian and UK travelers.

The news will boost confidence with prospective visitors, who have put off potential trips to the USA for close to a year now. With many outstanding deals available during current Black Friday Travel Sales, it’s a good time to give the United States a second look, particularly after winter as vaccine distribution begins.

While many will still wait for an official date and word from the White House, all signs point to a near term ending of travel bans, which means the USA will once again be open for business, and pleasure. It’s just a question of when…