05/14/2021
Below is a color-coded list of European Countries’ current border entry status for vaccinated Americans (as of May 13, 2021):
(Green = Open Now | Yellow = Re-Opening Date Announced | Red = Remains Closed )
• Iceland - Iceland has officially reopened to travelers, with a handful of entry requirements that vary depending on vaccination status. Unvaccinated visitors must complete a preregistration form before departure, which requires travelers to upload proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure (rapid tests will not be accepted). Unvaccinated and vaccinated travelers alike are required to undergo testing upon arrival, including children and those who have been previously infected—those with a certification of vaccination or prior infection must quarantine until a negative result is received, whereas all others must quarantine for five days, before taking a second test and quarantining until a negative result is received. Travelers who can prove that they have an “adequate isolation/quarantine location” (description here) are exempt from staying in an official quarantine facility. Currently accepted proof of vaccination includes CDC, WHO, and Yellow Card certificates that show an individual has received Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson vaccinations.
• Norway - Norway is closed to non-essential travelers from outside the E.U. until at least May 24.
• Sweden - Sweden is closed to non-essential travelers from outside the E.U. until at least May 31.
• Denmark – Denmark is set to re-open to American travelers by June 26.
• Finland – Finland remains closed to American travelers. Restrictions for entry into Finland were extended to 25 May 2021. For countries with high incidence rates, travel for recreational reasons is forbidden and any arrivals must enter a 14-day quarantine, which they can shorten with a negative test on arrival and one five days later.
• Estonia - Travelers from anywhere in the world can now arrive in Estonia and bypass quarantine, if they have had one of the Covid-19 vaccination jabs. The vaccine must have been administered in the past six months (or travelers are also exempt if they have had Covid-19).
• Latvia – Latvia remains closed to American travelers and will likely remain closed until June 9 at the earliest.
• Lithuania – Lithuania has imposed a nationwide quarantine until May 31. As such, American leisure travelers are currently not allowed to enter Lithuania without exceptional permission from the Lithuanian Government.
• UK (England/Scotland/Wales/N. Ireland) – Americans traveling from the U.S. can currently enter England* by quarantining for 10 days upon arrival, in addition to taking two coronavirus tests after arrival (these must be booked in advance). Before departing the U.K., all travelers must complete a passenger locator form, and provide proof of a negative coronavirus test.
*NOTE that there are additional restrictions for travel to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Currently, Scotland does not allow nonessential travelers to enter (find out what is considered essential here). Once in Scotland (or, if traveling to Scotland from other parts of the U.K.) individuals can travel freely, though pre-departure testing is encouraged before any travel to Scottish Islands. Wales likewise allows free travel from other parts of the U.K., though does have entry restrictions for travelers who have been in any countries on its “amber list” within the past 10 days. Such travelers will need to arrive with a negative test, complete the passenger locator form, isolate for 10 days, and get tested on day two and eight. Northern Ireland asks anyone traveling from outside the U.K., including British and Irish nationals returning home, to show a negative COVID test, complete the passenger form, and isolate for 10 days upon arrival.
• Ireland – Like the U.K., Ireland never implemented travel restrictions, but the government continues to advise against all non-essential foreign travel. All visitors must fill in a passenger locator form, then enter a mandatory quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
• France – France will re-open to vaccinated American travelers by June 9. Macron also announced that international tourists will be required to acquire a Pass Sanitaire, or “health pass,” for entry from June 9.
• The Netherlands - The Netherlands is open, but warns that travelers are “strongly advised” not to visit unless it is strictly necessary.
• Belgium - Belgium, which currently has nightly curfews in place, remains closed to leisure travelers from the U.S.
• Luxembourg – Luxembourg remains closed to American Travelers.
• Switzerland - Switzerland continues to ban entry for non-E.U. travelers, including Americans.
• Germany – Americans are not currently allowed to enter Germany, unless they also hold E.U. citizenship or residency, and there has been no announcement on when this may change. (For such arrivals, completion of a digital entry registration form and negative test upon arrival is required, though quarantine requirements vary by region.) On May 3rd, Bavaria announced that Oktoberfest will be canceled for the second year in a row this October
• Austria – Austria continues to ban entry for non-E.U. travelers, including Americans. However, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told press that “the light at the end of the tunnel is near” as he announced reopening plans starting on May 19. From 19 May, Austria is planning to scrap quarantine and testing requirements for countries categorized as green or orange on the ECDC’s traffic light map. A negative test will be required for people arriving from a red list country and quarantine and testing will still be applied for arrivals from dark red countries.
• Spain - The country's borders remain closed to Americans, though the country's secretary of state for tourism, Fernando Valdés, has said that Spain will be “ready to receive visitors in June,” This is dependent on a digital certificate expected to be piloted this month, which will indicate if travelers have been vaccinated, if they have tested negative, or if they have already recovered from COVID, which will be the criteria for entry.
• Portugal - Currently U.S. citizens can only enter the country for essential reasons, and there is no announced date for when this may change. On May 17, however, the country will open to vaccinated travelers from the U.K.—hopefully, a sign that U.S. travelers may be allowed in shortly after that.
• Italy - Travel into Italy is restricted, though this is set to change in the weeks ahead, as prime minister Mario Draghi announced on May 4 that the country will soon open to travelers, with the creation of a health pass to be released by the middle of May—a month before the expected launch of the E.U. pass. The country has since announced that this pass would be available to travelers from outside of the E.U., likely to include Americans, though no further details have been released on how it would work, or who would be eligible, have been released.
• Greece – Greece is now open to US travelers who are either fully vaccinated or those with a negative result from a Covid-19 PCR test that's no more than 72 hours old upon arrival. You must fill out an online passenger locator form. Would-be tourists should be aware Greece is still under a lockdown and curfew.
• Croatia - Croatia is not in the Schengen zone, and caused a stir by opening to U.S. residents on July 1 of 2020 if traveling for “pressing” reasons—including tourism. It has remained open ever since, with some entry requirements: U.S. citizens must present proof of either full vaccination, previous infection, or a negative COVID-19 test result from within 48 hours of arrival, or are asked to take a COVID-19 test upon landing and quarantine until receiving a negative result. For travelers with none of the above, there is also an option to self-isolate for 10 days.
• Slovenia – Slovenia remains closed to American Travelers.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - U.S. citizens are currently allowed to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina but must have a negative COVID-19 test (PCR) not older than 48 hours from the moment of entry.
• Montenegro - This Balkan nation is allowing US travelers with any of the following: 1. A negative result from a Covid-19 PCR test issued by a registered lab that's no more than 72 hours old upon arrival. 2. A positive result for IgG antibodies not older than 30 days. 3. Proof of a second vaccine dose received seven days ago or longer.
• Albania – Albania is open to U.S. citizens, with health screenings upon entry.
• Serbia – Serbia is open to U.S. citizens with proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 48 hours.
• Bulgaria - Anyone can arrive in Bulgaria if they can show they are fully vaccinated or have had Covid-19.As of May 4, Bulgarians and residents of EU/Schengen area countries who arrive in the country (and their families) must take a PCR test before entry or they must go into a ten-day quarantine. Bulgaria does not follow the ECDC’s traffic light system and is operating its own list of who is able to come into the country from overseas. Travelers from the following countries are allowed to enter, if they are in possession of a negative PCR test taken in the 72 hours prior: Australia, Canada, China, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, UAE, the U.K., Israel, Belarus, Kuwait, Turkey, Albania, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
• Turkey - Turkey's government is currently welcoming international travelers, who must show a negative PCR test upon arrival, despite a multi-week lockdown that requires most locals to remain at home. In an effort to spur on tourism, visitors are exempt from these lockdown requirements and allowed to move freely, while locals face fines for leaving their homes for nonessential reasons.
• Hungary – Hungary remains closed to American leisure travelers. Hungary closed its borders on September 1 2020 to all foreign nationals, after spiking rates of infection–and this order still stands. People can now enter if they are to perform at sporting events or other similar exemptions but they must undergo two tests (one before arrival and one after) and quarantine.
• Czech Republic - The Czech Republic is currently only allowing U.S. travelers to enter for essential reasons. Until May 17, the country is under a state of emergency and so most travel is restricted except for essential reasons.
• Slovakia – Slovakia remains closed to American Travelers.
• Poland - Poland also remains closed to U.S. leisure travelers, with exceptions for individuals who have Polish family members or a Karta Polaka card proving Polish heritage.
• Cyprus - Cyprus is currently open to American travelers (and has been since March 1) who must complete a Cyprus Flight Pass questionnaire and declaration form 24 hours prior to departure, in addition to taking a PCR test within 72 hours of departure, and a second test upon arrival (both at the traveler's expense). On May 10, Cyprus opened its borders to anyone who has been vaccinated from 65 countries around the world. This includes the U.S. and Canada.
• Malta – Malta will re-open to vaccinated American travelers by June 1. Malta’s Tourism Minister has announced that it will pay its international travelers up to €200 ($240) if they stay more than two nights. Someone who stays in a four-star hotel will receive €150 ($180), someone in a three-star will receive €100 ($120). And for those who make the journey to Gozo, the island next to Malta, they will receive 10% more. Euronews reported that the initiative would be paid in part by the hotels and in part by the government.
