Soon after European countries started easing restrictions, including the opening of airports, COVID-19 cases were again on the rise. Needless to say, most European countries started imposing travel restriction on countries deemed as high risk, or with a high level of infection per 100,000 inhabitants. We have reviewed and updated the newly imposed COVID-19 travel restrictions in Europe, United Kingdom and the Schengen area countries and states.
Malta | Cyprus | Austria | Switzerland & Liechtenstein | Germany | Slovakia | Italy | Iceland | Estonia | Denmark | Norway | Czech Republic | Hungary | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Ireland | Finland | Slovenia | Belgium | Netherlands | Greece | Croatia | France | Poland | Portugal | Spain | Bulgaria | Sweden | United Kingdom
MALTA
As of August 21, Malta will be introducing an ‘amber’ list, which will require travellers coming from countries in the said list to provide a negative PCR test before boarding their flight to Malta.
Passengers who do not present this certificate can be asked to take a swab test at the Malta International Airport or asked to self-quarantine in Malta upon arrival. The countries are Bulgaria, Romania and Spain (Barcelona, Girona and Madrid only). Countries listed in Malta’s ‘green’ list are exempted from any other travel restrictions.
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CYPRUS
Cyprus has split countries into three categories. Countries in category A which are Austria, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Georgia, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand are not required to present a negative COVID-19 test certificate or go into self-isolation.
Passengers coming from category B countries are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test no longer than 72 hours prior to arrival. The countries are Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Andorra, Monaco, Vatican City, San Marino, Rwanda, Tunisia, Uruguay, China and Japan.
Travellers coming from high risk countries (category C), including Bulgaria, Sweden, Luxembourg, Romania, Spain, Malta, Algeria, Serbia, Morocco, Montenegro and Australia shall only be allowed entry for specific categories of citizens who have the possibility to choose whether to undergo a COVID-19 test upon their arrival in Cyprus or provide a negative PCR test undertaken no earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival in the country. It must be noted that such persons shall have to remain in a state of self-isolation for 14 days.
All passengers, regardless of country category, are obliged to file an application for the CyprusFlightPass within 24 hours prior to their departure flight.
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AUSTRIA
Austria imposes no restriction to citizens of Austria, EU or EEA citizens, Swiss citizens as well as people with a residence in Austria or with a residence permit in Austria, subject to the traveller proving that s/he was staying in one of the following countries during the previous 10 days: Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Vatican, United Kingdom and Cyprus.
Austrian citizens, EU or EEA citizens, Swiss citizens as well as people with a residence in Austria or with a residence permit in Austria, will only be able to enter Austria when travelling from the following 32 countries or states, if a negative PCR test no longer than 72 hours old is provided upon entry into the country: Egypt, Albania, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Iran, Croatia, Kosovo, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine and USA.
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SWITZERLAND & LIECHTENSTEIN
As of August 20, travellers who have stayed in any of these 53 countries at any point in the 14 days before entry into Switzerland, must quarantine for 10 days. A negative COVID-19 test will not exempt you from the mandatory quarantine. The mandatory quarantine requirement does not apply to transit passengers who have spent less than 24 hours in Switzerland’s “high risk” countries.
The countries are Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eswatini (Swaziland), Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Namibia, North Macedonia, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Oman, Panama, Peru, Qatar, Romania, Saint Maarten, Spain including the Balearic Islands (excluding the Canary Islands), South Africa, Suriname, Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States of America (including Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands).
Immigration and customs for Liechtenstein are handled by Switzerland. The same travel restrictions as Switzerland as such apply.
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GERMANY
Germany does not have any restrictions in place for most EU countries, states associated with Schengen (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein), as well as the United Kingdom. Unrestricted travel is also possible from the following third countries: Australia (excluding the state of Victoria), Georgia, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
Upon entry into Germany following a stay in Germany’s ‘high risk’ areas within the last 14 days, travellers are must self-isolate upon entry into the country.
The European countries considered high risk are Belgium (province of Antwerp), Bulgaria (districts of Blagoevgrad, Dobritch and Varna), Croatia (counties of Šibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia), North Macedonia, Romania (Argeș , Bacau, Bihor, Brăila, Brașov, București, Buzău, Dâmbovița, Galați, Gorj, Ilfov, Neamt, Prahova, Vâlcea, Vaslui and Vrancea), Russian Federation, Spain (Mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands) and Turkey. Full list can be found here.
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SLOVAKIA
Travellers who enter Slovakia from a country which is not considered “low risk”, must self-isolate until a negative COVID-19 test result is received. The “low risk” countries are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
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ITALY
Passengers arriving from Malta, Greece, Croatia and Spain are to be tested for COVID-19 upon their arrival in the country. Travellers arriving from Romania and Bulgaria must self-isolate for two weeks.
As of July 1, residents of Australia, Algeria, Tunisia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Serbia, Rwanda, Thailand, South Korea, and Uruguay have been allowed to enter Italy, however they must quarantine for 14 days. Additionally, Colombia has been added to Italy’s ‘red’ list, and as such travel to and from Colombia is no longer allowed.
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ICELAND
All passengers are required to fill out a pre-registration form before their arrival in Iceland. Furthermore, all arrivals must choose between a 14-day quarantine or double COVID-19 testing, separated by a 5 day quarantine until the results of the second test result are known.
During the quarantine, you may a walk in areas where few other people are present, but must stay at least 2 meters away from any other pedestrians. You may also take drives in a private or rented car, but you must not have close contact with others from the vehicle, for example at drive thru restaurants or pharmacies.
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ESTONIA
Travelling to Estonia is allowed for Estonian citizens, residents and their family members, citizens and residents of the European Union, the Schengen area, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican, and individuals with a long-stay visa and their family members if they show no symptoms, as well as residents of Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay, if they show no symptoms.
That said, individuals coming from countries with a rate of infection higher than 16 per 100,000 inhabitants must self-isolate for 14 days. As of 1 September, the restriction of movement can be replaced with a COVID-19 test.
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DENMARK
Tourists entering Denmark are no longer subject to a minimum stay requirement and will no longer have to show documentation of a 6-night booking. Travel from borders to Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania and Bulgaria is currently closed. All other EU countries, Schengen area countries as well as United Kingdom are open for travel. Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay are also open for travel.
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NORWAY
Norway requires a mandatory 10-day quarantine for individuals coming from “high risk” countries. Exemptions are given to arrivals from areas in the Nordic countries and other EU/EEA/Schengen countries with sufficiently low transmission. Norway is not yet open for travellers from countries outside of the EU/EEA/Schengen area.
Quarantine is mandatory for Denmark (parts of), Sweden (parts of), Iceland, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Other countries outside of EU that also require a 10-day mandatory quarantine can be found here.
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CZECH REPUBLIC
Travellers arriving from Andorra, Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City, Thailand, United Kingdom and Tunisia may enter the Czech Republic without any restrictions. Persons arriving from Romania (as of August 3), Malta and Belgium (as of August 17) must provide a negative PCR test upon arrival or quarantine for 14 days.
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HUNGARY
Hungary has classified countries into three groups, “green”, “yellow” and “red”. Hungarian citizens and their family members, and persons holding a valid residence permit in Hungary arriving from a “yellow” or “red” designated country shall undergo a medical test.
Should a medical check reveal the suspicion of infection, the individual would be accommodated in a quarantine designated area, or if it does not impose a risk, s/he would quarantine at home. Where a medical test does not reveal the suspicion of infection, the individual will be placed in a mandatory 14-day quarantine at their home.
Foreign citizens arriving from abroad from a country marked “green” can enter without being subject to restrictions. Those arriving from a “yellow” country shall undergo a medical check upon entry. Travellers who are suspected of being infected, cannot be allowed to enter the country. Visitors who are not considered to be infected will be placed into mandatory quarantine. Furthermore, persons arriving from the “red” country list will not be allowed into Hungary.
As of August 7, the following countries have been classified as green: Portugal, Ireland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Malta, Greece, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
Spain, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Russian Federation, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria are classified as yellow, while Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia and Turkey are classified as red.
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LATVIA
Individuals travelling from a country with a 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases exceeding 16 individuals per 100,000, must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in Latvia. All travellers are also required to fill in a registration upon arrival.
As of August 14, countries with an infection rate higher than 16/100,000 inhabitants were Luxembourg, Spain, Romania, Malta, Andorra, Monaco, Belgium, San Marino, The Netherlands, Bulgaria, Sweden, France, Iceland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Portugal, Denmark, Cyprus, Poland, Croatia, Austria, Greece, Ireland and United Kingdom.
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LITHUANIA
Lithuania has opened its doors to all citizens and residents of the EEA, the Swiss Confederation and of the United Kingdom. That said, those arriving from countries with an infection rate of 16 per 100,000 inhabitants must self-isolate for 14 days. Travellers coming from countries with an infection rate of 25 per 100,000 inhabitants must provide a negative COVID-19 test no longer than 3 days old and also self-isolate upon entry.
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LUXEMBOURG
Luxembourg is currently open to all countries within the EU and Schengen area without restrictions. Travelers from outside the EU and Schengen are not allowed entry, with an exemption of the countries on the EU’s updated safe list, which are Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. China is subject to confirmation of reciprocity.
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IRELAND
All passengers entering Ireland must fill in a Passenger Locator Form. Ireland does not impose any travel restrictions to individuals coming from Northern Ireland, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Slovakia. Anyone arriving into Ireland from any other location must quarantine for 14 days.
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FINLAND
Individuals coming from Italy, Slovakia, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Vatican in the EU as well as the third countries of Georgia, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China (provided that the Council of the EU confirms reciprocity with China), won’t have any travel restrictions imposed.
If you are travelling from any other country not mentioned above, it is recommended you self-isolate for 14 days.
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SLOVENIA
No quarantine is required for travellers who enter Slovenia and have a permanent or temporary residence in a country on Slovenia’s “green” list: Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Hungary, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, Rwanda, San Marino, Slovakia, Uruguay, United Kingdom and the Vatican City.
Arriving into Switzerland from a “red list” country, irrespective of citizenship or residence, one must stay in quarantine for 14-days from day of arrival. The countries are Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, Montenegro, United States Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Faroe Islands, Gabon, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iraq, Iran, Israel, South Africa, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Columbia, Kosovo, Costa Rica, Kuwait, Luxemburg, Maldives, Mexico, Moldavia, Namibia, Oman, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Salvador, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, North Macedonia, Singapore, Serbia, Saint Martin, Suriname, Administrative Units of Spain (Aragon, Basque Country, Catalonia, Navarra), Turks in Caicos Islands, Cape Verde, United States of America, United Arab Emirates.
Countries in the “yellow” list are those not found in the “green” or “red” list. Slovenian citizens or foreign nationals with a permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia travelling from a country on the yellow list (if the country is a EU member state or a Schengen Area country) may enter Slovenia without a quarantine if they submit a proof that they are not travelling from a country on the red list. All other travellers are required to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
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BELGIUM
No travel restrictions are in place for travellers coming from Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.
Travel to Bulgaria (regions of Northeast, Southwest), Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Malta, Romania (regions of Bucharest-Ilfov,Centre, South-East, North-East, North-West, South-Muntenia and South-West Oltenia), United Kingdom (Leicester, Aberdeen) and Spain (Autonomous region of Aragón; Autonomous region of Navarra; province of Barcelona and province of Lleida (Autonomous region of Catalonia); province of Biscay (Autonomous region of Basque country); province of Soria (Autonomous region of Castilla y Leon); cities of Aranda de Duero (province of Burgos), Iscar and Pedrajas de San Esteban (province of Valladolid)) is not allowed.
Belgium requires mandatory quarantine and testing for all passengers travelling from outside the EU and Schengen, Bulgaria (regions of Northeast, Southwest), Malta, Romania (regions of Bucharest-Ilfov, Centre, South-East, North-East, North-West, South-Muntenia and South-West Oltenia), Spain (Autonomous region of Aragón; Autonomous region of Navarra; province of Barcelona and province of Lleida (autonomous region of Catalonia) ; province of Biscay (autonomous region of the Basque country); province of Soria (autonomous region of Castilla y Leon)) and Leicester in the United Kingdom.
As of August 1, all persons returning to Belgium and all persons travelling through Belgium and who are staying at least 48 hours must fill out an identification form (Passenger Locator Form).
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NETHERLANDS
Travelers from EU countries, Schengen area countries and the United Kingdom can travel to the Netherlands. There is no mandatory quarantine in place, but the Netherlands strongly advise travellers coming from a list of countries to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival.
The countries are Andorra, Malta, Sweden (Västra Götalands län), Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Aruba, Saint Maarten, France (Paris and the department Bouches-du-Rhône), Spain (Madrid, Navarre, the Balearic Islands of Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, the provinces Burgos, Salamanca and Soria (in the region Castile and León), Almería (in the region Andalusia), Barcelona and Lerida (in the autonomous region Catalonia) and the provinces Huesca, Zaragoza and Teruel (in the autonomous region Aragón)), Portugal (Vale do Tejo, this includes Lisbon), Belgium (Antwerp and Brussels-Capital Region) any other country outside the EU, the Schengen area and the United Kingdom, except for Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and China.
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GREECE
Passengers travelling to Greece must submit a Passenger Locator Form before entering the country. Passengers coming from Bulgaria, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Malta, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands, Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia must provide a negative COVID-19 test upon entry, not older than 72 hours prior to arrival.
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CROATIA
As of July 1, EU nationals, EEA nationals as well as nationals of the Schengen area are not subject to any travel restrictions when visiting Croatia. All other third-country nationals are allowed to enter Croatia subject to a negative COVID-19 test or a 14-day quarantine. All travellers are advised to fill out an entry form before they arrive in Croatia.
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FRANCE
There are no restrictions for travellers coming from EEA countries, United Kingdom, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, as well as some third countries including Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. Travellers coming from other countries are encouraged to have a negative PCR test n longer than 72 hours old before they leave for France.
Individuals aged 11 or over and coming from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, or Panama must present a negative COVID-19 test upon boarding the flight to France. Individuals travelling from Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, Chili, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, India, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Madagascar, Maldives, Mexico, Moldavia, Montenegro, Oman, the Palestinian Territories, Peru, Qatar, Serbia, South Africa or Turkey, who do not present such a document upon arrival in France, will have to carry out a PCR test upon arrival in the country.
France announced that it will reopen its borders for unmarried partners from third-countries who have their other half in France.
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PORTUGAL
No restrictions are currently in place to enter mainland Portugal from EU countries, Schengen area countries (Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland), the United Kingdom as well as Australia, Canada, China, South Korea, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. That said, travellers coming from these countries must present a negative COVID-19 test carried out in the 72 hours prior to the trip when entering the Azores or Madeira island.
Travel from other countries is also permitted for essential travel only, but passengers must have a negative COVID-19 test carried out 72 hours prior to the trip.
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SPAIN
Spain is open without restrictions to travellers from the European Union, from a country in the Schengen area, as well as travellers coming from Australia, Canada, China, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
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BULGARIA
No restrictions are in place for nationals arriving in Bulgaria from EU Member States, the UK, and the Schengen countries (including Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City), as well as from Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.
Nationals of North Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Moldova, Israel, and Kuwait can enter Bulgaria with a negative PCR test performed in the last 72 hours.
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SWEDEN
Non-essential travel to Sweden from outside the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland is still banned until at least August 31. In addition to these citizens, foreigners residing in a list of selected countries, are also exempted from the entry ban. These are Australia, Georgia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. Exemptions will also be made to foreigners who are coming to study in Sweden as well as highly skilled professionals, if the job can not be postponed or be done remotely.
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UNITED KINGDOM
As of August 8, anyone travelling to the UK from Belgium, Andorra or The Bahamas must self-isolate for 14 days. On August 15, further countries have been added to the list. Travellers coming from Malta, France, Monaco, Aruba, the Netherlands as well as Turks and Caicos Islands must also quarantine for 14 days. With regards to Scotland, arrivals from Spain and Luxembourg must also self-isolate for 14 days. A Passenger Locator Form is required for all entries.
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Should you wish to know about the COVID-19 travel restrictions and requirements for a country not listed above, please feel free to leave us a comment below.
Other sources:
https://www.politico.eu/article/coronavirus-travel-europe-country-by-country-travel-restrictions-explained-summer-2020/
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/covid-19/
