Downloadable travel restrictions database: COVID-19 border protocols travelling for tourism in Europe and in destination certification requirements  (latest version published 9 September 2021)       

Some of our resources are member-only: for all enquiries about ETOA membership, please click here.

 

28 September 2021 | Ireland has removed ‘Designated States’ from their international travel policy and thus travellers who are fully vaccinated/recovered particularly from South America are now able to travel to Ireland without testing or quarantine (where certification accepted). Further information here on certification accepted, namely EMA approved/Covishield and certificate in Irish or English (official translation accepted). The same certification is accepted to enter indoor hospitality (currently planned to be lifted on 22 October).

24 September 2021 | Northern Ireland and Scotland have both announced they will follow the UK Government’s new system for international travel from 4th October (see 20 September update) which includes the removal of the pre-departure test requirement for approved fully vaccinated travellers. A further update is expected from the Northern Ireland Executive on whether to align with the UK and Scottish Governments on replacing the post arrival PCR test with lateral flow test from the end of October. The Welsh Government are currently considering whether to follow the new system and any changes to testing requirements.

20 September 2021 | The Dutch Government has announced that from 22 September fully vaccinated travellers from very high risk areas such as the UK or USA will no longer be required to self quarantine on arrival into the Netherlands. A pre-arrival negative antigen or PCR test (within 24 hours for former and 48 hours for latter) is still required.

20 September 2021 | The UK Government has announced a new system for international travel arriving into England from outside the Common Travel Area to take effect from 4th October. Only fully vaccinated travellers from countries on UK Government approved list will be permitted entry without quarantine (includes children under 18 from the approved countries). This includes travellers resident in the UK, EU/EFTA states with EMA approved vaccine, USA and Canada. A pre-departure test will no longer be applicable for the approved fully vaccinated travellers from 4th October and at the end of October (date to be announced) the post arrival PCR test requirement will be replaced by a private lateral flow test. Further information here.

6 September 2021 | Belgium has updated their country colour classification list. The USA is red (same as the UK). Vaccine certification from the USA is accepted and thus fully vaccinated travellers from the USA are still permitted for tourism but are now subject to post arrival testing for stays greater than 48 hours. A PCR test is required on days 1 and 7 after arrival and self quarantine until the result of day 1 test. A pre-arrival test can not be used to exempt from quarantine, however travellers who can show proof of a positive PCR test within 180 days of arrival are exempt from testing and quarantine. Further information on post arrival testing can be found here. Non-vaccinated travellers from the USA are no longer permitted for tourism (EU citizens resident in the USA subject to quarantine of at least 7 days).

3 September 2021 | The Netherlands has announced that from 4 September 2021 fully vaccinated travellers from the USA, while still permitted entry to the Netherlands will be subject to self quarantine on arrival as the USA will be designated ‘very high risk’ (same as the UK). Exemptions list to mandatory quarantine requirement include transiting or stays in the Netherlands less than 12 hours.

The Netherlands review their risk lists on a weekly basis. If a non-EU country is moved from very high risk to high risk, fully vaccinated travellers will no longer be subject to self quarantine.

31 August 2021 |  The European Council has removed the USA and 5 other countries from their white list following their latest fortnightly review. The white list is a recommended list to EU member and EFTA states that restrictions on non-essential travel, including tourism, should be lifted for all travellers. Member states have discretion on whether to follow the recommendation. Please note, the European Council also recommends that fully vaccinated travellers from countries not on the EU white list should be permitted (unless from a country identified as having a variant of concern). Our travel restrictions database above is currently being reviewed and updated to reflect any changes by member states which will become known during the next few days.

31 August 2021 | Ireland has announced plans to lift more in-destination restrictions during September and October 2021. Further information can be found here.

31 August 2021 | Italy has updated their border protocols whereby travellers from the UK or transiting the UK will no longer need to quarantine for 5 days on presentation of a vaccine certificate (EMA approved in Italian, English, French or Spain) and negative antigen/PCR test (within 48 hours) on arrival. The provisions are currently in force until 25 October 2021. Further information can be found here.

 

Travel to the EU and EFTA

EU recommendation updated for member states and EFTA states on lifting travel restrictions for tourism from non-EU countries (further information in European Union section). The ‘White list’ criteria has been amended increasing the threshold from 25 to 75 for the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 in the last 14 days. In addition, fully vaccinated travellers from non-White list countries are also recommended to be allowed for tourism (except when a temporary emergency brake has been applied due to variants of concern). Please note, not all EU member states are adopting this recommendation in full and final decision on border entry remains a matter of national competence. Furthermore, in some member states fully vaccinated travellers may still be subject to testing requirements.

Please contact policy@etoa.org for questions and assistance navigating the content.

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  • For an overview of domestic and cross-border travel allowed/restricted and services open in destination:
    Re-Open EU for EU27 and EFTA countries
    United Kingdom
    UNWTO/IATA Destination Tracker for countries worldwide
    Sherpa for countries worldwide
    Government webpages should also be monitored as the final decision on border entry and issuing travel advisories/warnings remain matters of national competence (EEA, Switzerland, UK and some long haul source markets for Europe can be found below).
  • Information on the Package Travel Directive can be found in the European Union section.
  • Trade association and business operational guidelines to take into account specific circumstances can be found in our Operational Guidelines page (links to overall government health guidelines below) 
  • ETOA’s webinar programme can be found in our Coronavirus Hub.
  • For opinion and research please see our Insight hub.

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ETOA is working hard to ensure European tourism receives the attention it needs during the crisis, to support our members day-to-day, to share information and resources, and to work towards a strong recovery. This page is updated as destinations and government bodies issue new information.

We recognise that the immediate priority is commercial survival so that travel and tourism can play a vital part in the recovery, adding jobs to the economy faster than any other sector. That requires urgent and continued government help. Next, business needs information so it can plan and prioritise effectively.

Tourism in Europe will survive and thrive, and it may be very different. Recovery will take place with renewed respect for how interdependent our world has become. How we look after and share what we most value – communities, cities, countryside and culture – will drive policy, and stimulate new products and services.

Policy makers and the private sector must collaborate to build a resilient and sustainable future for the industry. ETOA and its members will be at the heart of it.

What are we doing?

PR and Lobbying at EU and national level for urgent financial support

      • Cash-flow is King: flexibility needed to help business cope
      • Crisis support must be simple to access and delivered quickly
      • Initiatives to stimulate recovery must be well-targeted to deliver maximum impact
      • ETOA is regularly asked for comment and expert insight

Industry engagement

      • We hold frequent meetings via video-conference with representative groups of members in various destinations and contact members direct.
      • We maintain dialogue with policy makers, DMOs and key attractions, including those holding large pre-payments.
      • We aggregate actual business impact and current priorities per market to support targeted lobbying activity.
      • We stay in close touch with our network in origin markets, monitoring for signs of recovery and consumer trends.

Information and resources

      • We are available for guidance and support. If we don’t have the answer we may know someone who does. Please email coronavirus@etoa.org to request a call-back.
      • We have a programme of webinars focusing on crisis impact, support and recovery plans for origin markets and destinations.
      • We contribute member insight and market intelligence to a range of webinars and policy meetings with industry stakeholders and other institutions.
      • We monitor official information and resources and publish links to government financial support, travel restrictions and health information (see below).

Multinational Bodies and Associations

European Union

European Council and European Commission homepages on travel during the COVID-19 pandemic

Travel information 

  • Re-Open EU map for the latest information on domestic and cross-border travel allowed/restricted, services open in destination (e.g. attractions, hospitality) and health and safety guidance provided by EU27 and EFTA member states:
    • Schengen area:
      • EU – Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia,  Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
      • Non-EU – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
    • EU non-Schengen:
      •  Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania (apply Schengen rules at their external border for non-EU nationals but time in these countries does not count towards time in Schengen area)
      •  Ireland
  • Travel to the EU from non-EU countries 
    • Since 1 July 2020 the European Council has recommended to member states (and EFTA states) that travel restrictions should be lifted for tourism purposes from some non-EU countries. The recommended (‘White’) list is reviewed fortnightly and can be found on the European Council’s travel and transport page and on the Re-Open EU map.
    • The EU recommend that fully vaccinated travellers from non-White list countries should also be allowed (including their children who are excluded from vaccination due to age) except when a temporary emergency break has been applied due to a variant of concern. Travel for essential reasons, non-EU nationals long term resident in the EU and passengers in transit should also be permitted (full exemptions).
    • Please note, not all EU member states are adopting this recommendation in full and final decision on border entry remains a matter of national competence. Please see Re-Open EU map for guidance on border entry requirements and also check national government webpages.


Health credentials

  • European Commission proposal on “Digital Green Certificate” for use and acceptance by EU member states for travellers to display a vaccination certificate, a test certificate or certificate of recovery should it be required by a member state (implementation date anticipated in June 2021).
  • Where member states accept proof of vaccination to waive certain public health restrictions such as testing or quarantine, they would be required to accept, under the same conditions, vaccination certificates issued under the Digital Green Certificate system. This obligation would be limited to vaccines that have received EU-wide marketing authorisation, but member states can decide to accept other vaccines in addition.


Package Travel and Passenger rights


European Commission strategy and guidelines


European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

OECD

United Nations

International Air Transport Association (IATA)

Border restrictions map (Destination Tracker) per country and which persons are permitted to enter.

NECSTouR

Homepage on COVID-19 including examples of good practice by tourism boards

Network of European Museum Organisations (NEMO)

European destinations and source markets

Austria

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Belgium

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Bulgaria

Croatia

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Cyprus

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Denmark

Tourism Boards and Agencies on COVID-19

Finland

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

France

National

Regional

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Greece

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Hungary

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Iceland

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Ireland

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Italy

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

ETOA referral

  • ETOA’s Italian lawyer can support member companies if they have queries:  Avv. Dino Costanza

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Malta

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Norway

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Poland

Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Romania

Slovakia

Sweden

United Kingdom


Business Support 

Business Financial Support


Tourism Boards on COVID-19

Long-haul source markets for Europe

India

USA

Disclaimer: While best efforts have been made to verify the accuracy of the information, the information displayed on this page should be used as guidance only.