When Will We Be Able to Travel to Europe?
By Michelle Baran Apr 1, 2021
Photo by Shutterstock
Greece is expected to open to vaccinated travelers in mid-May.
As COVID-19 vaccine rollouts continue to progress in the U.S. and abroad, a handful of European countries, including Iceland and Croatia, have started opening up to vaccinated travelers. Will others follow suit?SHARE THIS ARTICLE
On March 17, 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic gripped Europe and the world, European Union leaders agreed to impose travel restrictions on most foreigners entering Europe to limit the spread of COVID-19. Those restrictions were ultimately extended until July 1, 2020, when the European Union began welcoming back travelers from a short list of countries that had been approved by its leaders.ADVERTISING
The list was created based on countries’ epidemiological situation, and countries could be added or removed as their COVID-19 situation improved or worsened. From the original 14 approved countries, the list has shrunken to just 6, according to the latest version on the European Union’s Re-Open EU site.
The United States was never on the list. And conversely, the United States still has a ban in place on travelers from the European Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, with the exception of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
The six countries currently on the European Commission list are Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.
Algeria, Canada, Georgia, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia, and Uruguay had been on previous incarnations of the list but have since been removed, and Singapore was added more recently. China could also be included at some point if it agrees to allow EU travelers to visit. Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican are considered EU residents as part of the lifting of travel restrictions.
There are also numerous exceptions to the ban on travel to Europe, including for European citizens and residents and their family members, passengers in transit, and students.
It’s not a legally binding list, but EU leaders have agreed that member countries should not independently lift travel restrictions for unlisted countries before it’s been decided upon in a coordinated manner.
At press time, some European countries were not even permitting travelers from the above six countries to enter amid newer, stricter measures.
Indeed, as we turned the corner into 2021, despite the fact that COVID-19 vaccines have been developed and are being deployed in Europe and globally, the situation for travel to and from Europe has been (at least for the near-term) even more precarious due largely to the emergence of new coronavirus variants that have been found to be more transmissible. These variants have generated concern among governments racing to get their populations vaccinated.
On February 2, 2021, EU countries agreed on updated recommendations for travel restrictions into Europe, which state that if the epidemiological situation in a given country worsens quickly and if a country is found to have a high incidence of a worrisome variant, travel restrictions could be “rapidly reintroduced.” European governments have already implemented such rapid-fire restrictions on countries that include Brazil and the United Kingdom, where new variants have emerged.
Additionally, the EU is now requesting that all member states require travelers entering Europe to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken no more than 72 hours prior to departure. Travelers into the EU may also be required to quarantine, participate in contact tracing efforts, and submit to additional COVID-19 testing for a period of up to 14 days after arrival.
One year after Europe closed its external borders, there is still no concrete plan for when and how Europe will reopen those borders. However, we continue to track developments that could eventually lead to a larger reopening.
European countries vaccinated travelers can visit
Not all of Europe is closed off to travelers from the United States and elsewhere. Some countries have recently announced policies that allow travelers who have received their COVID-19 vaccine to enter.
Croatia
As of April 1, anyone can travel to Croatia if they present a COVID-19 vaccination certificate (the final dose must be administered at least 14 days before arrival); can present a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test taken no more than 48 hours prior to arrival in Croatia (if it’s a rapid test, a second test must be taken 10 days after the initial test if your stay in Croatia is longer than 10 days); or were diagnosed with and recovered from COVID-19 no more than 180 days prior to arrival. Children under seven years of age are exempt.
The U.S. Embassy in Croatia reminds travelers that tourists who meet the above requirements will only be permitted to enter Croatia if they provide evidence that they have paid for their Croatia accommodations in advance and in full prior to arrival at the border.
Estonia
Effective February 2, the northern European country of Estonia has declared that those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 can enter the country without having to submit to an otherwise mandatory 10-day quarantine and COVID-19 testing requirements. The Estonian government has said that vaccinated travelers must still adhere to any public health measures that are in place in Estonia.
Georgia
As of February 1, 2021, any fully vaccinated traveler from any country is allowed to enter Georgia as long as they present documentation confirming their COVID-19 vaccination status. (If the vaccine required two doses, proof of both doses must be provided.)
Unvaccinated travelers arriving from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, the European Union, Israel, Kazakhstan, Norway, Northern Ireland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, or the United States must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result conducted within 72 hours prior to travel at the Georgian border. On their third day in Georgia, travelers must submit to a second PCR test.
Greece
On March 9, 2021, Greece tourism minister Harry Theocharis said that those who are vaccinated against COVID-19, have antibodies, or test negative for COVID will be able to travel to Greece this summer, Reuters reported. “Greece is ready with a complete protocol for summer 2021,” Theocharis said at the global tourism trade fair ITB Berlin. He added that Greece wants to be ready to start its summer travel season by May 14.
Currently, only residents of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Lichtenstein, and Iceland can enter Greece, as well as those traveling from Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Those coming from other countries can only enter Greece for essential travel purposes.
All arrivals into Greece must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from within 72 hours before their entry to Greece.
Travelers entering Greece must complete a passenger locator form online, which includes the address of their stay while in Greece. Upon completion of the form, they will be provided with a unique Quick Response (QR) code via email on the day of their scheduled arrival in Greece, according to the Greek government.
Iceland
Photo by Andrew Mayovskyy/ShutterstockVaccinated Americans can now travel to Iceland.
Effective March 18, 2021, any travelers—including those from the United States—who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can enter Iceland and will not be subject to COVID-19 testing or quarantine measures. Previously Iceland’s policy stated that proof of vaccines simply allowed those who were already authorized to travel to Iceland (namely Icelandic and EU citizens and residents) to skip the country’s quarantine and testing requirements.
Travelers must provide proof that they have been fully vaccinated (so two doses if two doses are required) with a vaccine that has been certified for use by the European Medicines Agency, which includes the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
“Our experience and data so far indicate very strongly that there is very little risk of infection stemming from individuals who have acquired immunity against the disease, either by vaccination or by prior infection,” stated Iceland’s chief epidemiologist Thórólfur Gudnason. Iceland also allows travelers who have been previously infected with COVID-19 to enter the country without quarantine and testing.
Europe could have COVID-19 vaccine passports by summer
On March 17, 2021, the European Commission proposed issuing digital health certificates that would specifically allow EU residents to travel freely across the 27-nation bloc by the summer as long as they have been vaccinated, tested negative for COVID-19, or recovered from the disease. The commission has yet to address how such vaccine certificates or passports would affect travelers coming from abroad.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the Wall Street Journal in a March 3 report that “the aim is to gradually enable [EU citizens] to move safely in the European Union or abroad—for work or tourism.”
The topic of vaccine certificates has been under discussion for weeks in the EU, where it has proved to be somewhat divisive. The travel industry and southern European countries with tourism-dependent economies like Greece and Spain have pushed for the quick introduction of a program that would help eliminate quarantines and testing requirements for tourists.
But several other EU members, including France, argued that it would be premature and discriminatory to introduce such passes since a large majority of EU citizens haven’t had access to vaccines thus far.
By: Michelle Baran, Apr 2021, AFAR, Travel inspiration, Tips + News, When Will We Be Able to Travel to Europe?, recovered from: https://www.afar.com/magazine/when-will-we-be-able-to-travel-to-europe
