24Hour RT-PCR Results-COVID Tests for Travel ​

COVID Test to Travel

If you plan to travel internationally, you will need to get a COVID-19 test for most destinations.

Trilab is a member of the TrustAssure alliance and a preferred lab partner for United and Delta Airlines

What we offer

Trilab is a high complexity, COLA and CLIA specialized reference laboratory based in Elmhurst IL that specializes in:

  • RT-PCR Test with 24hr turnaround
  • Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAAT)(Specific Locations)
  • Rapid Antigen Test
  • Same-Day COVID test appointments available at any of our locations 7 days/week 

Come visit any one of our 11 locations to get your test today! Our staff is available to assist with properly scheduling your test to ensure hassle free international travel.

Testing requirements vary by destination.

Make sure you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines before you travel internationally. Getting vaccinated is still the best way to protect yourself from severe disease and slow the spread of COVID-19.

Visit the following pages for additional recommendations and requirements before, during, and after international travel.

COVID-19 International Travel Guidelines

Those wanting to learn about the coronavirus risk in a specific country can visit the C.D.C. website where a four-tier ranking system provides guidance. For information on entry requirements like testing and quarantine, as well as curfews and movement restrictions, the State Department’s website offers detailed information by country.

What We Offer?

RT-PCR Test with 24hr turnaround

Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAAT) (Specific Locations)

Rapid Antigen Test

Same-Day COVID test appointments available at any of our locations 7 days/week

Visit the following pages for additional recommendations and requirements before, during, and after international travel.

Our experts answer your

Frequently Asked Questions

NO COST Covid testing. Drive-up and walk-in testing. Rapid results in as little as 15 minutes. Same day PCR available.

When Should I get tested  for covid?  

Within 2-3 days of suspected exposure

Onset of symptoms (fevers, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, malaise, and generalized body aches)

Health care professional, first responders and others that are high risk of contact with suspecting Covid infection

Before or after travel, large gatherings, close contact, and events

Yes, this Order applies to all air passengers 2 years or older traveling into the US, including US citizens and lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders) unless exempted.

Yes, at this time all air passengers, 2 years or older, traveling to the US, regardless of vaccination or antibody status, are required to provide a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result or documentation of recovery unless exempted.

No, the requirements of this Order only apply to air travel into the U.S.

No, the requirement to present a negative result of a COVID-19 RT-PCR test or documentation recovery from COVID-19 does not apply to air passengers with flights from a US territory to a US state.

 

U.S. territories include American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Diplomats and special visa holders are not exempt from this Order.

Federal testing requirements must be met to board a plane to the US. Some state and local governments may have similar or more restrictive testing requirements for air passengers arriving in their jurisdictions. Always check and follow State and Local recommendations or requirements related to travel in addition to federal requirements.

A test result must be in the form of written documentation (paper or digital copy). The documentation must include:

  1. Type of test (indicating it is a NAAT or antigen test)
  2. Entity issuing the result (e.g., laboratory, healthcare entity, or telehealth service)
  3. Sample collection date
    • A negative test result must show the sample was taken no more than 1 day before the flight.
    • A positive test result for documentation of recovery from COVID-19 must show the sample was taken within the 90 days before the flight.
  4. Information that identifies the person (full name plus at least one other identifier such as date of birth or passport number)
  5. Test result

 

Before boarding a flight to the U.S., you will need to show a paper or digital copy of your test result for review by the airline and may be requested to show to public health officials after you arrive in the U.S.

At this time, you could meet the criteria for no cost Covid-19 testing under applicable clinical guidelines. Trilab Health site will bill your insurance or access federal funds for uninsured. Patients with insurance are required to share accurate insurance information. Patients without insurance must truthfully declare they are uninsured so Trilab Health laboratories may seek federal funding for the testing of uninsured patients.

 

People who have recovered from COVID-19 can continue to test positive for up to 3 months after their infection. CDC does not recommend retesting within 3 months after a person with COVID-19 first developed symptoms of COVID-19 (or the date their sample was taken for their first positive RT-PCR diagnostic test if their infection was asymptomatic).

 

If you have had a positive RT-PCR  test on a sample taken during the past 90 days, and you have met the criteria to travel, you may travel instead with your positive RT-PCR test results and a signed letter from a licensed healthcare provider or a public health official that states you have been cleared for travel according to CDC’s travel guidance. The positive test result and letter together are referred to as “documentation of recovery.”

 

A letter from your healthcare provider or a public health official that clears you to travel, must have information that identifies you personally (e.g., name and date of birth) that matches the personal identifiers on your passport or other travel documents. The letter must be signed and dated on official letterhead that contains the name, address, and phone number of the healthcare provider or public health official who signed the letter.

 

If you have recovered from COVID-19 but are not able to obtain documentation of recovery that fulfills the requirements, you will need to show a negative COVID-19

RT-PCR test result from a sample taken no more than 1 day before your flight to the US departs.

 

Even if you have recovered from COVID-19, if you develop symptoms of COVID-19 you should isolate, not travel, and consult with a healthcare provider for testing recommendations.

Airlines and other aircraft operators must be able to confirm the test result and proof of vaccination and review other required information and should determine when translation is necessary for these purposes. If your documents are in a language other than English, you should check with your airline or aircraft operator before travel.

As required by United States federal law, all airlines or other aircraft operators will provide and collect the passenger attestation on behalf of the US Government prior to boarding.

You are required to retain a paper or digital copy of your negative test result or documentation of recovery for the entirety of your itinerary as federal public health officials may request to see these documents at the port of entry. State, territorial, tribal and/or local health departments in the United States may also request them under their own public health authorities.

 

The attestation should be submitted to and retained by the airline or aircraft operator.

CDC recommends passengers keep their COVID-19 test results for 14 days after reaching their final destination in the United States in case they are requested to show it to a U.S. government official or a cooperation state or local public health authority.

If you are 2 years or older, you must get tested no more than 1 day before your flight to the US departs.

The 1-day period is 1 day before the flight’s departure. The Order uses a 1-day time frame instead of 24 hours to provide more flexibility to the air passenger and aircraft operator. By using a 1-day window, test acceptability does not depend on the time of the flight or the time of day that the test sample was taken.

 

For example, if your flight is at 1pm on a Friday, you could board with a negative test that was taken any time on the prior Thursday.

 

You should self-isolate and delay your travel if you develop symptoms or your pre-departure test result is positive, until you meet criteria to travel. Airlines must refuse to board anyone who does not present a negative test result for COVID-19 or documentation of recovery.

If you had close contact with a person with COVID-19 and are recommended to quarantine, you should quarantine and not travel until 5 days after your last close contact with the person with COVID-19. It is best to avoid travel for 10 days after your last close contact; however, if you must travel during days 6-10 after your last close contact, follow CDC guidance. If you are up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines, or have documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 90 days, you do not have to self-quarantine after exposure to a person with COVID-19 but should follow CDC guidance before traveling.

If the first flight in your trip is delayed past the 1-day limit of testing due to a situation outside of your control (e.g., delays because of severe weather or aircraft mechanical problem), and that delay is 24 hours or less past the 1-day limit for testing, you do not need to be retested. If the delay is more than 24 hours past the 1- day limit, then you will need to be retested.

 

If a connecting flight in your trip is delayed past the 1-day limit of testing due to a situation outside of your control (e.g., delays because of severe weather or aircraft mechanical problem), and that delay is less than 48 hours past the 1-day limit for testing, you do not need to be retested. If the delay is more than 48 hours past the 1-day limit, then you will need to be retested.

Minimal expenditure, considerable advantages

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COVID-19 Travel Testing