How to get Covid test result within 72 hours of departing FRA for JFK

One key point to note when returning to the US - the limit is not 72 hours but 3 days which gives you even more flexibility.

Do a search on this forum - lots of us who returned recently from Europe took the self test kits - not the ones that you get at the drug store unless it includes a live proctor who can watch you take the test. Do a search for Binax (Abbott) on this website.

We got free testing at a Kaufland market 3 days before our return last week. Germany has announced they'll be removing free-testing but you still be able to find rapid, inexpensive testing at just about any pharmacy or small town center. The current US rules do not allow for you to do a self test unless it's monitored/proctored by a health professional. The current requirement is 3 days before you fly home so - we were flying on Monday, we tested on the previous Friday which gave us time if we needed to retest Fri/Sat AM.

Just plan your trip so that 2-3 days before you fly home, you're near a town or city that has multiple testing sites/pharmacies..and then plan for about 30 minutes to register, swab and get your results.

I did a self test, proctored by a health professional over my iPhone. I ordered BinaxNOW tests by Abbott on Optum.com. I bought 3 for $99. They were shipped to me within 3 days. You will be instructed to download the NAVICA app before you leave the states. And you will go to emed.com for the actual test session. Don’t order too far in advance, as there is an expiration date. I ordered mine in August and traveled to Venice for 10 days and took the test on 8/31. The expiration date for my tests was October 28, printed on the box.

3 days is the required window. I was tested on 8/31 and flew home on 9/03.

Thank you! If I were to go to a local pharmacy like the big dm chain, would they be a pharmacy that tests for Covid and would I get the results while I am still there? That might be an easier thing to do than look for a proctor with a test kit I have brought with me from the US.

About precise testing locations (DM etc): Honestly it is too early to say, where exactly you will be able to get tested in March of next year--there is just too much change coming with the testing system etc in October.

With how things look now, it seems very, very, very likely that tests will remain available, but which pharmacies will be offering tests by then...I think it is better to wait and research closer to the date, to be honest. Most every city has a list of testing sites on the municipal website, so it should not be hard to find the information in the early new year.

(But, actually only some DMs are doing tests--not the majority at all--DM is not really a pharmacy in the English sense, to be honest. A real Apotheke ies a better bet, but you just need to look individually.)

Just wanted to give some basic information on the Binax NOW test kits. I watched this youtube video the other day and did not realize until then that there are separate test kits for the ones you just do on your own at home with unofficial results vs the proctored kits for verified results. This couple shows the difference and tells you what to look for if you decide to use this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=felpqrm6lzI

You do the proctored tests with a zoom-type call so you don't really need to look for someone to do this for you.

Thanks Pam.

I do know I’m asking quite early about March considering it is now September. Whenever I plan a trip to Europe, I tend to buy my airline tickets and arrange my hotels six months in advance to get the best rates. Given we are still in the midst of a pandemic, what is usual about planning may not be applicable now.

I'm investigating for my return from Frankfort in December. I'll be traveling to Mainz from Strasbourg and there is testing right at the Mainz Hbf. https://15minutentest.de/de/en

Their landing page says they are now open at the Frankfurt airport too!

Way too soon to know what testing requirements will be in March, let alone at Christmas.

And yes beware, there are two kinds of BINAX kits. Most vendors now know to specify if they are foreign-travel compliant, otherwise it should be printed on the box.

Dealing with the same issue in Berlin next month, I found this service which offers tests in Frankfurt as well. You might also be able to get the test at the Frankfurt airport. And you could ask your friends what testing might be available in or near their town. Of course by March the rules and options might be quite different.

Those of you coming back from Germany this year, please share what your experience is. I certainly understand that rules could certainly change between now and the end of March. I am assuming that I will need Proof of a negative Covid test I won’t be spending any time in Frankfurt. If I can get tested on a Sunday morning in Berlin before I visit my friend in her small town, that would be three days before my flight home but of course I don’t know if Sunday is a holiday for all Covid test centers in Berlin citywide.

oh no, they most certainly WILL change. Look how the Netherlands did an abrupt about-face.

ideally, the US will add proof of vaccination to the re-entry options so that testing is no longer the only way to get back home. It was clear to me when visiting France in July and Germany in September that Europe is desperate to get tourism and travel back on track -they need the $$$ and as the NL has made clear today- they're opening doors for vaccinated people...