US to drop travel ban for vaccinated international travelers starting in early November White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients announced Monday morning that the new travel policy will go into effect in November. Travelers will need to show proof of vaccination prior to boarding U.S.-bound planes. A COVID-19 test will also continue to be required within three days of departure and proof of negative results must be shown. Enhanced contact tracing and masking will also be required. The U.S. has been among the slowest countries to lift its ban on nonessential travel, which has been in place since early 2020.