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COVID-19 Travel Guidelines

The University of Tennessee’s Global Health and Safety Office is aware of and closely following the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We recommend that you monitor conditions in any country you are planning to travel to, and that you pay special attention to developments that could impact your trip, including new quarantine requirements for incoming travelers and/or travel bans or other restrictions of individuals from certain countries.
We also recommend that if you are planning to work with a host organization/institution during your trip (e.g. a conference organizer, a university or NGO, etc.), you check in with them to see how COVID-19 or any associated public health measures may materially impact your planning.
Each traveler should consider their own risk profile before traveling abroad, as well as the necessity of the trip. The pandemic is ongoing, and all travel is subject to sudden disruption. Travelers may face border closures, travel restrictions, and new public health requirements (such as testing and quarantine) with little to no notice.

General Guidelines and Resources

All travelers should make themselves aware of the CDC’s guidance on both international and domestic travel during the pandemic.

Please note in particular: The CDC recommends that you do not travel until you are fully vaccinated. While getting fully vaccinated can help protect you from COVID-19, you can further protect yourself by getting a vaccine booster at the appropriate time.

View CDC guidance on vaccine boosters and timing.

Students, faculty, and staff can obtain free vaccines and boosters from UTK’s Student Health Center.

Schedule a vaccine appointment at the Student Health Center.

You should closely monitor entry requirements for any country you are planning to travel to. Some countries now require vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test, or a combination of the two in order to enter. The US embassy in your host country will most likely have a COVID-19 updates webpage, which can help you learn more about entry requirements and in-country public health guidelines.

View list of COVID-19 Country-Specific Information from the US Department of State.

Please note, it is the responsibility of each individual traveler to identify, prepare for, and meet any destination-specific entry requirements during their travel. Unvaccinated travelers in particular should pay close attention to entry requirements, as some countries will not allow entry to unvaccinated individuals.

Travel Policy and COVID-19

All UTK-sponsored travel (e.g. travel using UTK funding, to receive UTK credit, etc.) done by undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff need to register their travel with the Center for Global Engagement.

Learn more about travel registration through the Center for Global Engagement.

All travelers must determine if their destination(s) are under a US Department of State Travel Advisory. Depending on the advisory level or recommendation, the traveler must submit a request for an exception to the travel policy.

Exception requests should be submitted at least 10 days in advance of travel, and are required for the following groups/risk levels:

Travelers will be notified if their travel exception is approved. Please make sure to include pertinent risk mitigation plans related to COVID-19 under the health section of your exception request.

Returning to the United States

For the most up-to-date reentry travel guidance, please refer to the CDC. Please note in particular the US government’s requirement for non-US citizens to show proof of vaccination before boarding their flights to the United States, with only limited exceptions.

All international students should review the guidance from UTK’s International Students and Scholar Services before traveling.

Campus Information

For the latest campus information, visit https://studenthealth.utk.edu/covid-19/.