What Kind of Rapid Test is Acceptable to Enter the U.S.?
Currently if you are planning on entering the United States from another country, there is a fairly strict testing requirement that is causing problems for international travellers. Right now, the Biden Administration has put in place an order that any traveller who plans on coming to the United States must have a negative viral Covid test taken within one day (24 hours) of their international flight. This pertains to individuals coming to the U.S. from Canada or Mexico as well by air.
However, the clear issue that has been brought up with PCR tests (a type of viral test) is that they take longer than 24 hours to generate a test result—unless you can afford to pay for a rapid PCR test, which many travellers are unwilling to do so. This leaves many international travellers trying to figure out which rapid viral tests are FDA approved for emergency use, and whether or not airlines will accept their rapid test they bring with them to the airport.
In this post we will definitively cover which rapid tests are currently acceptable for travelling to the United States, and which tests aren’t.
CDC Requirements
The CDC outlines very clearly that in addition to PCR tests, antigen tests are also viral tests that can be used to detect Covid-19. They state the following on their website, “A viral test checks specimens from your nose or your mouth to find out if you are currently infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Viral tests can be performed in a laboratory, at a testing site, or at home or anywhere else.”[1] For those who might be confused, antigen tests are a type of viral test and therefore check for the presence of antigens based on ones nasal sample.
However, getting a rapid antigen test isn’t enough for international travel to the U.S. This is because another crucial part of having the right test is having one where someone is verifying that you took the test in the right manner. Therefore, going to a local pharmacy and picking up an antigen test—such as an OTC brand that you do by yourself, will unfortunately not be accepted by U.S. airlines or incoming flights to the United States.
Telehealth
As such, the requirements state the following in regards to antigen testing:
- The testing must include a telehealth video call during which someone authorized by the test maker supervises the testing procedure in real-time.
- The telehealth provider must also issue a report confirming the patient’s identity i.e. their name, DOB, etc.
- Airlines and U.S. CBP officers must be able to review and confirm your identity and paper or digital documents with your test results.[2]
Right now there are only a few antigen tests that have this capability with a telehealth provider. These include the BinaxNOW Antigen Covid-19 Home Test, as well as the Ellume Covid-19 Home Test.
Finally, there is the Qured Covid-19 Antigen test, with a link available here: https://qured.us/. This test might be the cheapest of all three options starting at $39 for one test.
