Exception Requests for Vaccination or Pre-Departure Testing
Unvaccinated nonimmigrant, non-U.S. citizen air travelers are not allowed to board a flight to the United States without an approved waiver from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Waivers to the vaccination or pre-departure testing requirements may be granted by the CDC for humanitarian or emergency reasons. CDC criteria for exceptions are narrow, and the urgency must be readily apparent. Individuals in the Philippines may request a waiver through the U.S. Embassy in Manila by sending an email to ManilaCDCWaiver@state.gov. Please provide the information below in your waiver request.
We will then submit the request to the CDC. The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines can neither grant nor deny waiver requests; all decisions are made by the CDC. The following information must be provided for each passenger:
a. Type of humanitarian or emergency request
- Exemption from predeparture testing requirement; and/or
- Exception for requirement for proof of being fully vaccinated
b. Name (family name/surname, given name), passport number, and nationality
c. Cell phone number including country code of passenger or head of household if family unit
d. Email address of passenger or head of household if family unit
e. U.S. destination address
- Is U.S. destination home address?
f. Flight itinerary, including any connecting flights
- Airline
- Flight #
- Departure airport and date of departure
- Arrival airport and date of arrival
g. Vaccination Status
- Fully Vaccinated
– Name of vaccine product (or products if a combination)
– Date of first dose
– Date of second dose (if a two-dose series)
– PDF or photograph of vaccination record
- NOT Fully Vaccinated
h. Purpose of travel to the United States (provide brief explanation of why urgent travel is needed and how travel will contribute to health and safety of passengers(s))
i. As applicable:
– Justification for humanitarian exemption for testing requirement (e.g., no testing available where passenger is located)
– Justification for humanitarian or emergency exception to providing proof of being fully vaccinated (e.g., vaccine availability, passenger ineligible for vaccine at location, insufficient time to become fully vaccinated)
j. Documentation to support justification for exception if provided (e.g., medical records or orders for medical evacuation)
k. Information regarding any other solutions that were sought prior to application (e.g., flight changes, testing en route, assistance in obtaining testing/vaccination, etc.)