COVID 19 Self-Testing for Reentry into the US

**UPDATE:

Covid test rules are changing. Some tests at the time of publication were acceptable and have changed over the past year.

Check with your airline and country for more details. (02/21/22)

The CDC recently announced that “SELF TESTING” is approved for reentry into the USA to satisfy the negative covid19 test requirement. (see details at bottom).

At-home COVID test for international travelers

So, what are the options for test kits for those who would like to try to bring one along? The problem with most at-home test kits is that the vast majority still require users to physically mail their sample to a laboratory. That’s fine if you’re in the United States, but obviously, that’s not very plausible if you’re abroad and need a test result from within three days of flying to the United States. There is, however, one COVID-19 test kit we found that meets the CDC requirements and offers the self-test option, produces results without a laboratory, and includes a telehealth service.

BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Home Test

The BinaxNOW COVID-19 home test is one of the few tests on the market with FDA emergency use authorization that does not require the user to ship a sample to a lab (and it also doesn’t require a prescription from your healthcare provider). It’s a rapid antigen self-test designed to detect both asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19. It can be used for children as young as 2 when the sample is collected by an adult—those 15 and older can collect their own sample.

“It was super easy,” says Bryan Kinkade, AFAR’s publisher, who recently used the BinaxNow home tests for himself and his family for a trip to Costa Rica. His one piece of advice is to make sure to have “a solid Wi-Fi connection” so that you can download the app and conduct the telehealth video call. “They walk you through the entire process,” he says, remarking that the test is very similar to a pregnancy test—after 10 minutes or so the results pop up on the reader. “The healthcare provider comes back on camera to verify the results that you hold up to the camera, and then you can instantly see [your] results in the app.” 

After getting his results, he uploaded them directly into the United app to check in for the flight back to the United States. “I repeated the process with my wife and son, and 45 minutes after we started, my son was walking back to the beach for an afternoon surf. We were down there with some friends who were stressed out all week hoping that the local clinic would be open, that there wouldn’t be a line or any issues getting results back quickly.”

BinaxNOW was developed by health and medical diagnostics company Abbott. A trained telehealth professional guides users through the at-home self-test via a video call using Abbott’s NAVICA mobile app, where they can also access their COVID-19 test results. The standard kit comes with two nasal swabs—the technique for sample collection is less invasive than the very deep nasal swab sample collection we’ve all heard horror stories about (if not endured ourselves).

Does a self-test meet the conditions of the Negative COVID Test Requirement Order?

International air passengers traveling to the United States can use a self-test (sometimes referred to as home test) that meets the following criteria:

  • The test must be a SARS-CoV-2 viral test (nucleic acid amplification test [NAAT] or antigen test) with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

  • The testing procedure must include a telehealth service affiliated with the manufacturer of the test that provides real-time supervision remotely through an audio and video connection. Some FDA-authorized self-tests that include a telehealth service may require a prescription.

  • The telehealth provider must confirm the person’s identity, observe the specimen collection and testing procedures, confirm the test result, and issue a report that meets the requirements of CDC’s Order (see “What information must be included in the test result?” below).

  • Airlines and other aircraft operators must be able to review and confirm the person’s identity and the test result details. The passenger must also be able to present the documentation of test results to U.S. officials at the port of entry and local/state health departments, if requested.

For travelers who test positive, CDC recommends the telehealth provider report positive test results to relevant public health authorities in the traveler’s location following local requirements. The telehealth provider should also counsel the traveler on what they and their close contacts should do. This would include not traveling until they complete isolation (if infected) or quarantine (if exposed), in accordance with local requirements.

Some countries may restrict importation of tests that are not authorized or registered there. Travelers who are considering bringing a U.S.-authorized test with them for use outside of the United States should contact authorities at their destination for information before they travel.

What information must be included on the test result?

A test result must be in the form of written documentation (paper or electronic copy). The documentation must include:

  1. Type of test (indicating it is a NAAT or antigen test)

  2. Entity issuing the result (e.g. laboratory, healthcare entity, or telehealth service)

  3. Specimen collection date. A negative test result must show the specimen was collected within the 3 days before the flight. A positive test result for documentation of recovery from COVID-19 must show the specimen was collected within the 3 months before the flight.

  4. Information that identifies the person (full name plus at least one other identifier such as date of birth or passport number)

  5. Test Result

Does a negative test result or documentation of recovery need to be in English?

Airlines and other aircraft operators must be able to confirm the test result and review other required information, and should determine when translation is necessary for these purposes. Passengers whose documents are in a language other than English should check with their airline or aircraft operator before travel.

If a passenger has tested positive for COVID-19, and then tests negative, can that passenger travel?

Individuals with known or suspected COVID-19 should self-isolate and NOT travel until they have met CDC’s criteria for discontinuing isolation.

If a passenger has a negative test, but was a close contact of a known COVID case, can that passenger travel?

Individuals who are not fully vaccinated and have had close contact with a person with COVID-19 (i.e., who are considered exposed to COVID-19), should self-quarantine and NOT travel until they have met CDC criteria for discontinuing quarantine. Individuals who are fully vaccinated, or who have documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 3 months, do not have to self-quarantine after exposure to a person with COVID-19 and can travel unless they have COVID-19 symptoms.