COVID test for USA

ag19lfc

Can anyone confirm what kind of test I need to do to travel to the States in June?

Guidance states:

All travelers regardless of their vaccination status must have an original printed or electronic negative COVID-19 viral test result (NAAT: RT-PCR, RT-LAMP, TMA, NEAR, HDA, SDA, CRISPR, or Antigen: Rapid, Viral, Antigen Chromatographic Digital Immunoassay, Antigen Chemiluminescence Immunoassay, or Antigen Lateral Flow Fluorescence).

Will a negative rapid lateral flow test (the free ones from GOV.UK) suffice or does it to be a paid PCR type?

Sncjw

I would imagine pcr. 

Caz3121

ag19lfc said:

Will a negative rapid lateral flow test (the free ones from GOV.UK) suffice or does it to be a paid PCR type?

NHS have never been accepted for travel
If you go down the lateral flow route this needs to be either in-person or supervised via video call

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

You can use a self-test (sometimes referred to as home test) that meets the following criteria:

• The test must be a SARS-CoV-2 viral test (nucleic acid amplification test [NAAT] or antigen test) with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) OR the relevant national authority where the test is administered.
• The testing procedure must include a telehealth service affiliated with the manufacturer of the test that provides real-time supervision remotely through an audio and video connection. Some FDA-authorized self-tests that include a telehealth service may require a prescription.
• The telehealth provider must confirm your identity, observe the sample collection and testing procedures, confirm the test result, and issue a report that meets the requirements of CDC’s Order (see “What information must be included in the test result?” below).
• Airlines and other aircraft operators must be able to review and confirm your identity and the test result details. You must also be able to present the documentation of test results to U.S. officials at the port of entry and local/state health departments, if requested.

Sandtree

Sncjw said:

I would imagine pcr. 

Don't need to imagine given the OP had already stated that a rapid antigen test (aka lat flow) is acceptable. 

The one thing the guidance doesn't state is that the US requires it to be a witnessed test not either a pure home test or a home test with just a photo of the result sent to be verified but the CDC link states that.

Caz3121 said:

ag19lfc said:

Will a negative rapid lateral flow test (the free ones from GOV.UK) suffice or does it to be a paid PCR type?

NHS have never been accepted for travel

The UK Gov has always said you shouldn't use a free NHS test for travel, same as vaccines for travel are generally paid for. If they are actually acceptable or not is not a decision for the UK Gov. Certainly the first time we went overseas during covid at least half the people in the immigration queue were holding NHS PCR test results and they were accepted. 

bagand96

The following site is really good for comparing test providers https://www.covid19-testing.org/travel-testing

Antigen for USA needs to be supervised and certificated. This can either be done in person or via a video call online. Online video ones start around £20, in person at a local clinic or airport £30+

I wouldn't worry too much yet though, it could change by June. 

CKhalvashi

Antigen testing is acceptable, but in the case of the US, all tests must be supervised.

My suggestion for the US is to pay £32 to have it done at the airport for convenience, but there are slightly cheaper alternatives out there. Collinson results typically come back within 30-40 minutes and the one time the test result came back void (no line on the strip) a quick phonecall to me enabled the test to be re-done with certificate issued around 25 minutes after the second test.

Murphy_The_Cat

Boots the day before worked well for me - especially as my first flight was going before the on airport places were open !

Lhop84

It needs to be a supervised lateral flow or paid for PCR OR if you have recovered from covid in the 90 days before travel, you can provide documentation of recovery instead of testing. This would be your positive test results and a letter from a doctor. Again this is at a cost (around £80) 

adamjth

Looks like I will be flying for work to US on 17th April from heathrow and the flight will be in the afternoon (5pm) so to summarise by convenience over price:-

- get it done at the airport and book in advance for a Antigen Lateral Flow test (which is covered here:- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html#anchor_1635127081)

- alternatively book a test for the day before at Boots

Welcome any comments of ppl with recent experience on this.  Half of me wants to pull this trip and go another time;)

CKhalvashi

adamjth said:

Looks like I will be flying for work to US on 17th April from heathrow and the flight will be in the afternoon (5pm) so to summarise by convenience over price:-

- get it done at the airport and book in advance for a Antigen Lateral Flow test (which is covered here:- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html#anchor_1635127081)

- alternatively book a test for the day before at Boots

Welcome any comments of ppl with recent experience on this.  Half of me wants to pull this trip and go another time;)

I've used Collinson, which would be £32 at the airport with code BA20OFF (there are codes on the website, but both myself and a colleague had issues with them previously).

Certificate e-mailed in around 30 minutes, and the one time I've had an inconclusive result, a quick phonecall later and I'd been re-tested with enough time to still get my bus to another airport (leaving about an hour in the middle) with the certificate in hand.

This was at Stansted, but I can't fault that level of service.