PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On October 10th, 2022, His Excellency David W. Panuelo—President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)—signed an Amendment to the Permanent Regulation Implementing Public Law 22-134 i.e., the Healthy Border Protection Act. The practical effect of the Amendment is that any person traveling to the FSM, although still required to be “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19 prior to entry into the FSM, no longer requires a booster dose prior to travel under any circumstance.
Per Public Law 22-134, i.e. the Healthy Border Protection Act, persons intending to travel to the FSM are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. A person is considered “fully vaccinated” after they have received the second dose of an mRNA vaccine, such as the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. As of October 10th, 2022, all of the FSM’s States—Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae—are fully open for interstate and international travel.
After booking one’s ticket on an international commercial carrier, a prospective traveler to the FSM can expect to show documentary evidence of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when checking in at the airport; additionally, the traveler can expect to complete a Health Declaration Form whilst on the aircraft. Presuming the traveler declares they are not showing any symptoms consistent with COVID-19, then at no point prior, during, or after travel does the traveler need to provide a COVID-19 test result. At no point is the traveler required to undergo any form of quarantine or restricted movement.
Although all of the FSM’s States are fully open for interstate and international travel, the State of Chuuk continues to see wide community spread of COVID-19. Teams from across the FSM’s States, the U.S. Centers for Disease-Control & Prevention, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, ASPR, Red Cross, and the Pacific Island Health Officers Association, are presently active in Chuuk State and providing assistance. The FSM Government encourages families and tourists to consider delaying their travel until after Chuuk recovers from its current wave of COVID-19.
The Amendment to the Permanent Regulation Implementing Public Law 22-134 can be found here: https://gov.fm/files/Announcements/Amendment_to_the_permanent_regulation_implementing_public_law_no_22-134__Healthy_Border_Protection_Act.pdf
