07/01/2020
Europe’s country-by-country travel restrictions explained
Austria
Are the borders open? Yes, since June 4, but initially only travelers who’d stayed in Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary for two weeks prior to arrival could enter freely. Austria extended that to cover 32 countries (but not Sweden, Portugal or the U.K.) from June 21.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Yes, depending on where people are coming from: From June 21, travelers from Sweden, Portugal and the U.K. still have to quarantine for two weeks or present a test result upon arrival.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Entry is only allowed for special categories like travelers in transit, and seasonal workers in the agriculture, forestry and tourism sectors. Workers, however, have to either quarantine for two weeks or present a health test upon arrival.
Status: Cautious
Belgium
Are the borders open? Yes. Belgium dropped its restrictions for travel within the European Union and from the U.K., Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein from June 15.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? They can’t visit for the time being.
Status: Open
Bulgaria
Are the borders open? From June 15 through to June 30, Bulgaria is open to EU citizens, Britons, Bosnians, Serbs and Montenegrins, and there are other exemptions for groups such as seasonal workers, medical staff and people, including investors, working on core infrastructure projects.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? People arriving from Portugal, Sweden, the U.K. and any third country face a 14-day quarantine. Transiting lorry and bus drivers are exempt.
Are there any other entry requirements? People transiting the country or exempted from quarantine have to sign this declaration that they understand the rules.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Banned, apart from some exceptions like diplomats, transport staff and medical specialists.
Status: Cautious
Croatia
Are the borders open? Yes. In an effort to get the tourism sector moving again, travelers from Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia are allowed in without conditions, though the government says it will collect contact data. Nationals of other EU countries will have to show they have a good reason, although an accommodation booking will be sufficient.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No, unless they have symptoms.
Are there any other entry requirements? No; unlike some other countries, Croatia is not requiring a negative test.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Not allowed.
Status: Open
Cyprus
Are the borders open? Most European countries fall into two groups that have to follow different rules. Flights from a first group of countries face no travel restrictions, while those from a second group — including Belgium, France, Spain and Israel — are allowed to visit but need a health certificate. Both lists are constantly reviewed. The U.K. and Sweden are currently excluded.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? If visitors from permitted countries aren’t able to take a test before boarding, they can have the test in Cyprus (roughly €60) and self-isolate at their pre-booked accommodation until the result is available.
Are there any other entry requirements? A COVID-19 traveler declaration, which can be filled in online or at airport check-in counters, is requested prior to boarding. The government has set up an online portal in English with all the info.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Australia, South Korea, Lebanon, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Norway, Switzerland, Israel and Lichtenstein are the only non-EU countries on either list. Travel from elsewhere is allowed only in exceptional circumstances and after receiving approval, including for transit.
Status: Cautious
Czech Republic
Are the borders open? The Czech Republic enforces a traffic-light system: People from safe countries, marked green, will be able to travel to the country, but tourists from orange (medium-risk) and red (high-risk) countries will be denied entry, barring a few exemptions. Czech citizens returning from green or orange countries can travel back without restrictions.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No, if coming from lower-risk countries.
Are there any other entry requirements? Czechs returning from Sweden or Portugal (the red zone) must take a test or quarantine; that also applies to exempted foreigners from orange or red countries.
What about travelers from outside Europe? No.
Status: Cautious
Denmark
Are the borders open? No. For now, only tourists from Germany, Norway and Iceland are allowed but the country plans to open up to EU and Schengen countries, as well as the U.K., from June 27, on the condition that they have fewer than 20 infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week. Once travel is rebooted, countries would only drop off the free travel list again if infections rose to exceed 30 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Denmark also factors in countries’ testing regimes.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Arrivals from high-incidence countries are advised to isolate.
Are there any other entry requirements? Tourists are required to book a six-day stay, unless they’re visiting from neighboring regions in Sweden and Germany.
What about travelers from outside Europe? No, but exceptions for partners, family and work that currently apply to Europe will be extended to other countries from June 27. Travelers need a recent negative test before entering Denmark.
Status: Cautious
Estonia
Are the borders open? Yes. Estonia restarted travel from EU and Schengen countries, as well as the U.K. from June 1, on the condition that travelers don’t display any COVID-19 symptoms.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Travelers who’ve spent at least 14 days before their departure in a country with more than 15 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days are required to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. The list is updated every Friday and enters into effect the following Monday.
Are there any other entry requirements? People who aren’t exempted can file a request to cross the border in exceptional circumstances.
What about travelers from outside Europe? No, travel remains restricted.
Status: Cautious
Finland
Are the borders open? Partially. Finland dropped border checks with Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The country is planning to restart free travel with European countries in a similar situation — meaning a maximum of 8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the previous 14 days — from July 13. As it stands, that would cover Germany, Italy, Austria, Greece, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Croatia, Cyprus and Ireland (but not, among others, Sweden). The government will review that list by July 10.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? A two-week quarantine is recommended for arrivals from countries for which Finland hasn’t lifted restrictions — meaning they can’t travel for leisure.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? They can’t visit for the time being.
Status: Closed
France
Are the borders open? Yes. France lifted restrictions at European borders as of June 15.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No. Travelers from most EU countries, EFTA nations (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), as well as Monaco, San Marino, the Vatican and Andorra, are free to travel to France by land, air or sea without having to quarantine or needing to show certificates proving they are COVID-free. Travelers from the U.K. are asked to undertake a 14-day quarantine, in response to the U.K.'s quarantine mandate.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? The interior ministry said it would begin relaxing restrictions on travel from countries outside the EU on July 1, in accordance with the European Commission's recommendations. University students will be given priority for entry, regardless of their country of origin.
Status: Open
Germany
Are the borders open? Yes. After closing most of its borders in March, Germany has slowly moved to reopen frontiers on a case-by-case basis. From June 15, all nine of the country’s borders were open again.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No, although Germany’s 16 federal states have the final say on lockdown measures and have at times implemented different policies.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Not allowed for the time being.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
Status: Open
Find out more: Here
Greece
Are the borders open? Greece resumed flights to most countries, except those listed as having a high risk of transmission by the EU’s aviation safety agency, EASA. International flights will arrive in Athens and Thessaloniki, while direct flights to regional airports resume July 1.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Travelers from airports on the EASA list — including in France, the U.K., the U.S. and Belgium — face mandatory tests and quarantines. For others there’s no requirements, although random testing will be carried out.
Are there any other entry requirements? Land-border arrivals from Bulgaria were open as of June 15 and visitors subject to random testing. Land-border arrivals from North Macedonia and Albania will most likely resume on July 1, while re-evaluation with regards to Turkey will be made by July 1. Arrivals by sea will be allowed as of July 1.
What about travelers from outside Europe? It’s variable, since Greece’s restrictions are based on the EASA list. Some countries are welcomed and others restricted.
Status: Open
Hungary
Are the borders open? Yes. EU citizens and citizens of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Serbia, as well as Hungarian citizens, may now enter Hungary.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Travelers from EU countries do not need to quarantine. (This does not apply to the U.K.)
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Hungary’s external borders are closed, with some exemptions such as business travelers from South Korea and Japan. Ukrainian citizens may enter for agricultural work purposes.
Status: Cautious
Iceland
Are the borders open? Yes.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Iceland requires travelers to self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival, but travelers can opt for a test instead. Caution: Test results from other countries are not accepted. The requirements don’t apply to children born in 2005 or later.
Are there any other entry requirements? Travelers have to fill out a pre-registration form before departure. They’re also encouraged to download the contact tracing app Rakning C-19.
What about travelers from outside Europe? No.
Status: Cautious
Ireland
Are the borders open? Yes — they’ve never closed.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Yes, unless you’re coming from Northern Ireland or you’re an essential worker or diplomat. Everyone else must fill in a Passenger Locator Form and quarantine for 14 days, with fines up to €2,500 for non-compliance.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Ireland is outside Schengen and never implemented the EU’s external travel ban, meaning it isn’t distinguishing between European and worldwide arrivals.
Status: Cautious
Italy
Are the borders open? Yes, since June 3, for everyone coming from the EU, the U.K. and the Schengen area.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No.
Are there any other entry requirements? Travelers who come from a permitted country but were outside the bloc in the two weeks prior to entering Italy must quarantine for 14 days.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Not for the time being. Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said, “There are still no guarantees for openings to non-Schengen countries.”
Status: Open
Latvia
Are the borders open? Yes.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Latvia has waived a two-week quarantine for travelers arriving from a country where the infection rate has kept below a cumulative 14-day number of 15 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. People who spent at least 14 days in Latvia or Lithuania before their arrival are also exempt. The list is updated every Friday.
Are there any other entry requirements? Latvia isn’t restarting connections yet with countries with a cumulative infection rate above 25 per 100,000; travelers who nonetheless make it to Latvia are required to isolate.
What about travelers from outside Europe? No. Travel restrictions remain.
Status: Cautious
Lithuania
Are the borders open? Yes, but only for European countries in which the coronavirus-incidence rate hasn’t exceeded 25 cases per 100,000 in the last 14 days. That excludes Sweden, the United Kingdom and Portugal. The list is here.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Lithuania dropped a mandatory quarantine requirement for medium-risk countries (which previously covered Belgium). Belgian travelers who arrived before June 17 are still required to isolate, as are people displaying symptoms. Lithuanians returning from high-incidence countries are advised to self-isolate but it’s not compulsory.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? No, travel remains restricted.
Status: Cautious
Luxembourg
Are the borders open? Yes. Luxembourg never closed its frontiers with neighboring countries, and throughout the crisis has called for open borders and a well functioning Schengen zone — essential to the country’s economy.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? That’s banned, in line with the EU’s recommendation that external borders remain closed. The government wants a coordinated EU strategy for lifting restrictions on external border travel.
Status: Open
Malta
Are the borders open? No. The border opens on July 1 for Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (except for Ile-de-France), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy (except for Emilia-Romagne, Lombardy and Piemonte), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland (except for Katowice Airport), Slovakia and Spain (except for Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Castile and Leon).
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No, unless you have to travel to Malta urgently from outside its “safe list,” in which case there’s a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Are there any other entry requirements? Travelers have to sign a declaration that they have spent the past 30 days in a country on the “safe list.”
What about travelers from outside Europe? Iceland, Israel, Norway and Switzerland are on the list of countries allowed to travel to Malta. Otherwise it’s a no.
Status: Closed
Netherlands
Are the borders open? Yes, the Netherlands never closed its borders with neighboring countries (although Belgium closed its border to the Netherlands). Tourists from the EU and the Schengen countries, except Sweden and the United Kingdom, can visit.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No.
Are there any other entry requirements? Tourists must prove that they have a reservation to stay somewhere.
What about travelers from outside Europe? They’re not allowed in for the time being.
Status: Open
Norway
Are the borders open? Only very partially. Norway allows travel from Nordic countries on the condition that infections there remain low: Denmark, Iceland, Finland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland meet those criteria, but most of Sweden — with the exception of the island of Gotland — doesn’t. Travel from other European countries may be allowed from July 20.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Yes, arrivals are required to quarantine for 10 days. That no longer applies to arrivals from the Nordics (except for Sweden).
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Not possible for the time being.
Status: Closed
Poland
Are the borders open? Yes. On Saturday June 13, Poland opened its borders to EU citizens, and restarted air travel on June 16.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? No.
Status: Open
Portugal
Are the borders open? Portugal accepts all foreign visitors that fly into the country, but is barring direct flights from Spain or Italy until July. The land border with neighboring Spain will remain closed until July 1.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No.
Are there any other entry requirements? Not on the mainland, but travelers to the Azores or Madeira islands will be tested upon arrival.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Portugal has maintained flight connections with the U.K., the U.S., the Lusophone Community, Canada, Venezuela and South Africa. It will follow the EU’s lead on reopening to the rest of the world.
Status: Open
Romania
Are the borders open? Yes: Travelers from the EU, as well as Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway can enter Romania.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Yes. The government asks new arrivals to self-isolate or quarantine in a government center, but exempts arrivals from Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Finland, Italy, Estonia, Ireland and France. The list is here.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? They are not allowed for the time being, but there are exemptions for specific travelers such as diplomats or workers.
Status: Cautious.
Slovakia
Are the borders open? Generally yes. Citizens of Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Switzerland were allowed in by June 15. Poland, Montenegro, Monaco and the Faroe Islands were added June 20.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Yes, for two weeks unless they show a negative test.
Are there any other entry requirements? Arrivals who have been to a country deemed to be unsafe in the preceding 14 days can also show a negative COVID-19 test result not older than 96 hours. Otherwise, tests can also be done while in quarantine.
What about travelers from outside Europe? No, that’s prohibited.
Status: Cautious.
Slovenia
Are the borders open? Slovenia dropped border restrictions on May 15, but remains cautious. The country in June tightened some of its measures following an increase in infections, which the government said was due to excessive leeway on quarantine requirements.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Arrivals from countries on Slovenia’s safe list, covering most (but not all) the EU and Schengen area, can travel without restrictions. Travelers from countries that aren’t on that list face a two-week quarantine unless they fall into one of 15 exceptions. There’s also a list of countries with a deteriorating situation, which only have six exceptions to the mandatory quarantine. Slovenia monitors the epidemiological situation to update the lists.
Are there any other entry requirements? Some travelers from countries on the “red” list, who meet an exception, also have to present a negative test that’s no older than three days and was taken in an EU/Schengen country.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Travel remains restricted.
Status: Cautious.
Spain
Are the borders open? Partially. Spain reopened its borders with nearly all countries in the Schengen zone on June 21, but its terrestrial border with Portugal will only reopen on July 1, at Lisbon’s request.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? An emergency decree issued May 15 said everyone traveling to Spain until June 29 had to quarantine for two weeks, but authorities have done little to enforce it. German travelers welcomed back to the Balearic Islands as part of a pilot reopening scheme that launched June 15 were entirely exempted from the measure.
Are there any other entry requirements? Not on the mainland, but travelers to the Canary Islands who cannot demonstrate their COVID status will be tested upon arrival.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Spain expects to open borders with non-EU countries on July 1, although Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has expressed concern about rising numbers of coronavirus cases in the U.S. and Russia. Madrid has also been vague about accepting travelers from Latin America, where serious outbreaks have been documented.
Status: Cautious.
Sweden
Are the borders open? Yes; there are no entry restrictions for travelers from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and the U.K. That’s been part of Sweden’s unconventional strategy toward the virus.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Non-essential travel from other countries is not allowed.
Status: Open
Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Are the borders open? Yes. Switzerland has lifted remaining travel restrictions for EU countries, as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and the U.K. Liechtenstein is in a customs and currency union with Switzerland so is following Bern’s approach on borders.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? No.
Are there any other entry requirements? No.
What about travelers from outside Europe? Not possible for the time being.
Status: Open
United Kingdom
Are the borders open? Yes — they’ve never closed.
Do arrivals have to quarantine? Yes. After public pressure to introduce some form of controls (Britain was for weeks a stark outlier), the government eventually laid out plans to quarantine arrivals from June 8, barring essential workers, transit passengers or people coming from Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. (Exemptions.)
Are there any other entry requirements? The quarantine means people have to give their journey and contact details, and could be fined up to £3,200 if they break the rules. Heathrow airport is trialing temperature checks at some terminals.
What about travelers from outside Europe? The U.K isn’t distinguishing between European and worldwide arrivals.
Status: Cautious
