Travel

What you need to know

The Office for Global Health, Safety, and Security is monitoring news of the omicron variant of COVID-19. There is still much we do not know about this variant, but this latest development is a reminder that local health conditions and pandemic-related travel restrictions can change without notice.

Prospective and current travelers:

• Monitor local health conditions and entry restrictions for the US and all international destinations including points of transit. These restrictions may differ depending on citizenship/immigration status, vaccination status, or the point(s) of departure/transit as well as any other travel in the 14 days prior. Resources include the U.S. Department of State, the CDC, and the Harvard/Brown Global Health Institute; and Sherpa offer itinerary-specific guidance.
• Get fully vaccinated before you leave on MSU-sponsored international travel including receiving a booster vaccination, if eligible. Some countries may require a booster shot to be considered fully vaccinated and/or vaccination within the past nine months to be considered fully vaccinated. For example, the EU has suggested for its members “a standard acceptance period for vaccination certificates of 9 months since the primary vaccination series.” For more information on COVID-19 vaccines in Michigan, visit michigan.gov/covidvaccine and visit the CDC for more information on booster shot recommendations.
• Do not travel if you are sick.
• Consider purchasing trip cancellation and/or trip interruption insurance. 
• Download the International SOS app and/or register online for country-specific International SOS alerts. Sign in to internationalsos.com with MSU membership # 11BCAS798617.

Important to remember:

• Anyone traveling by plane to the United States from an international location must present proof of a negative viral COVID test within one day of departure to the United States. This requirement applies to everyone including citizens and permanent residents. It’s also required even if the traveler has been fully vaccinated against COVID. Non-U.S. citizens, non-US immigrants must also be fully vaccinated to travel to the U.S. by plane. Please review detailed guidance from the CDC.
• All MSU travelers — domestic and international — who are returning to campus are asked to follow MSU health protocols for inbound travelers. 
• MSU has streamlined the review process for most international travelers. Travel requests for faculty, staff and guests no longer require additional review by the Faculty and Staff Travel Review (FASTR) committee, unless the traveler is unvaccinated or the destination is considered high-risk for non-COVID safety and/or security reasons.
• For faculty, staff, and sponsored guests traveling on official MSU international travel, please review the international travel waiver process managed by ISP’s  Office for Global Health, Safety and Security. 
• For details regarding travel with Education Abroad programs, please refer to the COVID-19 Guidance for EA Programs and the Office for Education Abroad.
• MSU-sponsored domestic travel authorization has returned to the processes used prior to the pandemic.
• Please visit the Office for Global Health, Safety and Security website for the complete requirements for all categories of MSU travelers.