January 25, 2021: On January 25, 2021, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation continuing travel restrictions for foreign nationals from the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, the Schengen Area, Brazil, China, and Iran. This proclamation represents a continuation of the previous travel restrictions for individuals traveling from these countries that have been in place since May 24, 2020. The President also restricted entry into the United States of any foreign national from South Africa, effective Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 12:01 AM Eastern Standard Time. Under these restrictions, a consular officer will not issue a visa to a foreign national who the officer has determined has been, or will have been, present in any of the listed countries within 14 days prior to his or her entry into the United States.
This Presidential Proclamation does not restrict the ability of U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or individuals falling within one of the listed exceptions to travel to the United States. However, per previous guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), beginning January 26, 2021, all travelers must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test to airlines prior to departure.
For health-related information for returning U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, we encourage individuals to refer to official information from the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services.
For the latest announcements regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on the Department of State’s visa operations see https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html. The Embassy and Consulates of the U.S. in Brazil remind the public that the only official sources for information in Brazil on visas is https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html and https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-br/niv, along with the social media accounts of the Embassy and Consulates of the U.S. in Brazil. We invite interested individuals to follow us at:
- Brazil: https://twitter.com/EmbaixadaEUA, https://www.facebook.com/EmbaixadadosEUA.BR/, https://www.instagram.com/embaixadaeua/, https://www.linkedin.com/company/embaixada-eua/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/EmbaixadaEUA
- Rio de Janeiro: https://www.facebook.com/consuladoeuarj.br/ and https://www.instagram.com/consuladoeua.rio/
- Sao Paulo: https://www.facebook.com/ConsuladoEUASP/ and https://www.instagram.com/consuladoeuasp/
- Recife: https://instagram.com/consuladoeua_nordeste
Read the full text of President Biden’s proclamation at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/25/proclamation-on-the-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-non-immigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease/.
Follow Ambassador Chapman @USAmbBr and follow us on our website, and our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr accounts.
For further information on this Press Release, please contact the U.S. Embassy Press Office in Brasília at BrasiliaEMBEUA@state.gov or on (+55 61) 3312 – 7367 / 7350 / 7364. Follow us on Twitter and Flickr.
