Ah thats great to know! Usually the PCR tests are pretty price (150$), so really glad to see that Seattle offers them for free, even for travelers :) Is that a Seattle thing or USA wide the same?

Seattle only. Maybe there are other municipalities as well, but it's rare. Seattle is one part Western European/Québécois when it comes to social programs and such.

The free tests are intended for people who have symptoms or who suspect they have been exposed to covid (see under “when to get tested”). It is part of the city’s effort to keep infection rates down (and it has worked). While it is not expressly meant for travel purposes, I’d say it is reasonable for you as a foreign visitor to take advantage of the offer, as you may have been exposed at some point during your travels, and certainly want to know that before boarding an airplane. Just make sure the testing site you choose has a reasonable turnaround time for results.

So welcome to Seattle, and I hope you enjoy your time here. We are pretty nice people. ; )

I have to caution you that it is not unheard of for someone to make an appointment for testing and then have it cancelled by the pharmacy at the last minute when it is travel related. Make sure you have a few options in mind.

I've used the free, drive through testing at Bellevue College (15-30mins from DT Seattle, depending on traffic) several times for myself and my family, and we've never been asked whether it was for travel or not. And in fact, when you get the results, there's an option to click to download the results in a form specifically accepted for travel to Hawaii. They accept appointments, but they're not needed. All an appointment seems to do is pre-load your info in their system.

I can’t tell from your post whether you have a time limit for the PCR test. For instance, does it need to be within a 72 hour period before a flight? If so, be aware that there is no guarantee that the free tests offered will have results availability within the time frame. It’s likely they will, but if not, you are out of luck, so the suggestion for multiple options is a good one. The airport does testing, but last time I looked it was $250, so an emergency budget for this would be necessary. I don’t mean to be negative, but we traveled abroad recently and after a friend failed to receive their results in time, we paid $150 for a fast antigen that we were sure would have results in 15 minutes.

This original post was in July. My guess is the OP has traveled

Haha; usually I check that. It caught me this time!

so when booking online its asking for your address and zip code. as a Canadian i don't ahve a zip code but postal code. So do I enter the zip code of the hotel i am staying at? And on another note. Staying in downtown area - are there drive thru walgreens close by that I can take an uber or cab too get to?

Thanks in advnce