I am a U.S. citizen/green card holder and my family wants to come to the U.S. Can my family come visit me if they are subject to the travel ban to the U.S.?

The Covid-19 crisis has caused large disruptions in daily life and created significant difficulties for international travel.

Many of our clients who are U.S. citizens or green card holders ask us if their family that is abroad can come to the U.S. if they are subject to one of the presidential proclamations restricting entry to visitors from certain countries.

As of the time of writing, the following countries are on the list of restricted countries (note that this list is subject to change, and you should check the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the most current information):

• Schengen area countries
• China
• Iran
• Ireland
• The United Kingdom
• Brazil

The short answer is it depends. Only certain family members of U.S. citizens/green card holders qualify for an exception to the Presidential proclamations and will be allowed entry to the U.S.

Each Presidential Proclamation that restricts entry to travelers coming from certain countries contain the following exceptions:

• Spouse of a US citizen;
• Spouse of a green card holder;
• Parent or legal guardian of a U.S. citizen child (if the U.S. citizen child is under the age of 21)
• Parent or legal guardian of a green card holder child (if the green card holder is under the age of 21);
• Sibling of a U.S. citizen, provided that both of you are unmarried under the age of 21;
• Sibling of a green card holder, provided that both of you are unmarried under the age of 21;
• Child, foster child, or ward of a U.S. citizen;
• Child, foster child, or ward of a Green Card holder

Additionally, our clients often ask us if they can travel abroad if they are green card holders/U.S. citizens holding dual citizenship.

Example 1

You are a German national and also a U.S. green card holder and you want to travel to Germany for couple of weeks. You should check whether you will be allowed to enter Germany with your German passport (most likely yes). In this case, you could travel to Germany and come back to the U.S. on your green card, because as a green card holder you are exempted from the Proclamation imposing travel restrictions on travelers from the Schengen area countries.

Example 2

You are a U.S. national and also a UK national. You want to visit your family in the UK and then come back to the US on your US passport. Again, you should check what are the rules as to UK nationals entering the UK from abroad (e.g. you may have to quarantine for couple days and/or take a Covid test). As a U.S citizen, you are exempted from the Proclamation imposing travel restrictions on travelers from the UK and Ireland and you will be allowed to come back to the U.S. on your U.S. passport.

In both examples above, you may have to quarantine after you come back to the U.S. and you should check the CDC website for further information.

Please click here to read our blog post: Travelling to the U.S. from Europe during Corona Virus.

Please click here to read our blog post about National Interest Exception.