Travel Restrictions to the U.S. from 8 Countries of Southern Africa REVOKED, effective December 31, 2021
On December 28, 2021, U.S. President Joseph Biden issued a Proclamation that revokes the prohibition on entry to the U.S. by non-U.S. citizens who had been physically present in 8 countries of Southern Africa (prohibition established by Presidential Proclamation 10315 on November 26, 2021). The 8 countries that had been impacted were: the Republic of Botswana, the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Malawi, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Namibia, the Republic of South Africa, and Republic of Zimbabwe
The effective date of this Proclamation, when the prohibition on travel from the 8 countries will no longer be in effect, is at 12:01 am Eastern U.S. Standard Time on December 31, 2021.
The full text of the Proclamation may be viewed here.
U.S. Department of State Guidance on Rescission of Travel Restrictions on Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe can be viewed here.
IMPORTANT: ALL travelers, including those from the 8 countries of Southern Africa, are still subject to the requirements to be fully vaccinated and have proof of a negative COVID-19 test no more than 1 day prior to travel by air to the U.S. Details on the vaccination and testing requirements for entry to the U.S. are available here.
We will continue to update the MIT “Major Immigration Alerts and Updates” webpage with any new policies or guidance provided by U.S. federal government agencies.
If any questions arise, please contact your Advisor in the MIT International Students Office or MIT International Scholars Office.
