European Union travel restrictions

European Union The European Commission is proposing to create a Digital Green Certificate to facilitate safe free movement inside the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Digital Green Certificate will be a proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19. It will be available, free of charge, in digital or paper format. It will include a QR code to ensure security and authenticity of the certificate. The Commission will build a gateway to ensure all certificates can be verified across the EU, and support Member States in the technical implementation of certificates. Member States remain responsible to decide which public health restrictions can be waived for travellers but will have to apply such waivers in the same way to travellers holding a Digital Green Certificate.

Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová said: “The Digital Green Certificate offers an EU-wide solution to ensure that EU citizens benefit from a harmonised digital tool to support free movement in the EU. This is a good message in support of recovery. Our key objectives are to offer an easy to use, non-discriminatory and secure tool that fully respects data protection. And we continue working towards international convergence with other partners.”

Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said: “With the Digital Green Certificate, we are taking a European approach to ensure EU citizens and their family members can travel safely and with minimum restrictions this summer. The Digital Green Certificate will not be a pre-condition to free movement and it will not discriminate in any way. A common EU-approach will not only help us to gradually restore free movement within the EU and avoid fragmentation. It is also a chance to influence global standards and lead by example based on our European values like data protection.”

Key elements of the regulation proposed by the Commission today:

Accessible and secure certificates for all EU citizens:
The Digital Green Certificate will cover three types of certificates –vaccination certificates, test certificates (NAAT/RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen test), and certificates for persons who have recovered from COVID-19.
The certificates will be issued in a digital form or on paper. Both will have a QR code that contains necessary key information as well as a digital signature to make sure the certificate is authentic.
The Commission will build a gateway and support Member States to develop software that authorities can use to verify all certificate signatures across the EU. No personal data of the certificate holders passes through the gateway, or is retained by the verifying Member State.
The certificates will be available free of charge and in the official language or languages of the issuing Member State and English.
Non-discrimination:
All people – vaccinated and non-vaccinated – should benefit from a Digital Green Certificate when travelling in the EU. To prevent discrimination against individuals who are not vaccinated, the Commission proposes to create not only an interoperable vaccination certificate, but also COVID-19 test certificates and certificates for persons who have recovered from COVID-19.
Same right for travellers with the Digital Green Certificate –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.
Notification of other measures – if a Member State continues to require holders of a Digital Green Certificate to quarantine or test, it must notify the Commission and all other Member States and explain the reasons for such measures.
Only essential information and secure personal data:
The certificates will include a limited set of information such as name, date of birth, date of issuance, relevant information about vaccine/test/recovery and a unique identifier of the certificate. This data can be checked only to confirm and verify the authenticity and validity of certificates.
The Digital Green Certificate will be valid in all EU Member States and open for Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway as well as Switzerland. The Digital Green Certificate should be issued to EU citizens and their family members, regardless of their nationality. It should also be issued to non-EU nationals who reside in the EU and to visitors who have the right to travel to other Member States.

The Digital Green Certificate system is a temporary measure. It will be suspended once the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the end of the COVID-19 international health emergency.

Next Steps

To be ready before the summer, this proposal needs a swift adoption by the European Parliament and the Council.

In parallel, Member States must implement the trust framework and technical standards, agreed in the eHealth network, to ensure timely implementation of the Digital Green Certificate, their interoperability and full compliance with personal data protection. The aim is to have the technical work and the proposal completed in the coming months.

Background

To comply with the measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus, travellers in the EU have been asked to provide various documents, such as medical certificates, test results, or declarations. The absence of standardised formats has resulted in travellers experiencing problems when moving within the EU. There have also been reports of fraudulent or forged documents.

In their statement adopted following the informal video conferences on 25 and 26 February 2021, the members of the European Council called for work to continue on a common approach to vaccination certificates. The Commission has been working with the Member States in the eHealth Network, a voluntary network connecting national authorities responsible for eHealth, on preparing the interoperability of vaccination certificates. Guidelines were adopted on 27 January and updated on 12 March, and the trust framework outline was agreed on 12 March 2021.

Today the Commission adopted a legislative proposal establishing a common framework for a Digital Green Certificate. The Commission also adopted a complementary proposal to ensure that the Digital Green Certificate is also issued to non-EU nationals who reside in Member States or Schengen Associated States and to visitors who have the right to travel to other Member States. Separate proposals to cover citizens and non-EU citizens are necessary for legal reasons; there is no difference in treatment of citizens and eligible non-EU citizens for the purpose of the certificates.

European Union The European Union said Thursday it has decided to reinstate a travel ban from Japan as the country struggles to cope with a surge of novel coronavirus cases, having declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas.

The EU maintains a list of countries that are exempted from its ban on nonessential travel to the economic bloc. In light of the latest developments, it has removed Japan from the list.

The latest EU decision is likely to prompt airline companies operating Europe-bound routes from Japan to review their flight plans, although it will remain up to each member country in the EU to decide whether to implement the ban and how to handle enforcement.

While the pandemic situation in Japan is less severe than in some hard-hit countries such as the United States and several nations in Western Europe, it is one of the most affected countries in East and Southeast Asia, with over 380,000 infection cases and 5,500 deaths, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

European Union Based on the criteria and conditions set out in the recommendation, as from 16 December member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries:

Australia
Japan
New Zealand
Rwanda
Singapore
South Korea
Thailand
China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity
Travel restrictions should also be gradually lifted for the special administrative regions of China Hong Kong and Macao, subject to confirmation of reciprocity.

Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican should be considered as EU residents for the purpose of this recommendation.

European Union Latest News: High-speed train operator Thalys cancels 70 percent of trains from 2 November because of COVID-19 (Brussels Times, 27.10.2020). All flights between countries belonging to Schengen Zone will resume from 30 September (TFN, 28.09.2020). Thalys high-speed train operator cuts several services amid COVID-19 pandemic (Brussels Times, 22.09.2020).

International Restrictions:

European Union reopened borders to citizens of 14 countries since July 1. The list includes The safe countries deemed to have the coronavirus pandemic largely under control are Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. Travelers from China would be approved to enter, but under the condition that Beijing would do the same for Europeans. Some EU countries have requested a delay in the decision for further examination, meaning the decision may be revised. The list is not entirely binding, border management remains a matter of national decision. (Prague Morning, 29.06.2020)

European Union Travel restrictions: Council reviews the list of third countries for which restrictions should be lifted
Following a review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, the Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. As stipulated in the Council recommendation, this list will continue to be reviewed regularly and, as the case may be, updated.

Based on the criteria and conditions set out in the recommendation, as from 22 October member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries:

Australia
Japan
New Zealand
Rwanda
Singapore
South Korea
Thailand
Uruguay
China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity
Travel restrictions should also be gradually lifted for the special administrative regions of China Hong Kong and Macao, subject to confirmation of reciprocity.

Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican should be considered as EU residents for the purpose of this recommendation.

The criteria to determine the third countries for which the current travel restriction should be lifted cover in particular the epidemiological situation and containment measures, including physical distancing, as well as economic and social considerations. They are applied cumulatively. Reciprocity should also be taken into account regularly and on a case-by-case basis.

Schengen associated countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) also take part in this recommendation.

European Union Latest News: Thalys high-speed train operator cuts several services amid COVID-19 pandemic (Brussels Times, 22.09.2020).

International Restrictions:
European Union will continue to ban travelers from Brazil, Russia, U.S because of COVID-19 threat (Al Jazeera, 26.06.2020)

European Union reopened borders to citizens of 14 countries since July 1. The list includes The safe countries deemed to have the coronavirus pandemic largely under control are Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. Travelers from China would be approved to enter, but under the condition that Beijing would do the same for Europeans. Some EU countries have requested a delay in the decision for further examination, meaning the decision may be revised. The list is not entirely binding, border management remains a matter of national decision. (Prague Morning, 29.06.2020)

European Union Following a review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, the Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. As stipulated in the Council recommendation, this list will continue to be reviewed regularly and, as the case may be, updated.

Based on the criteria and conditions set out in the recommendation, as from 8 August member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries:

Australia
Canada
Georgia
Japan
New Zealand
Rwanda
South Korea
Thailand
Tunisia
Uruguay
China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity
Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican should be considered as EU residents for the purpose of this recommendation.

The criteria to determine the third countries for which the current travel restriction should be lifted cover in particular the epidemiological situation and containment measures, including physical distancing, as well as economic and social considerations. They are applied cumulatively.

Regarding the epidemiological situation, third countries listed should meet the following criteria, in particular:

number of new COVID-19 cases over the last 14 days and per 100 000 inhabitants close to or below the EU average (as it stood on 15 June 2020)
stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period in comparison to the previous 14 days
overall response to COVID-19 taking into account available information, including on aspects such as testing, surveillance, contact tracing, containment, treatment and reporting, as well as the reliability of the information and, if needed, the total average score for International Health Regulations (IHR). Information provided by EU delegations on these aspects should also be taken into account.
Reciprocity should also be taken into account regularly and on a case-by-case basis.

For countries where travel restrictions continue to apply, the following categories of people should be exempted from the restrictions:

EU citizens and their family members
long-term EU residents and their family members
travellers with an essential function or need, as listed in the Recommendation.
Schengen associated countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) also take part in this recommendation.

European Union *****

International restrictions:

European Union will continue to ban travelers from Brazil, Russia, U.S because of COVID-19 threat (Al Jazeera, 26.06.2020)

European Union reopened borders to citizens of 14 countries since July 1. The list includes The safe countries deemed to have the coronavirus pandemic largely under control are Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. Travelers from China would be approved to enter, but under the condition that Beijing would do the same for Europeans. Some EU countries have requested a delay in the decision for further examination, meaning the decision may be revised. The list is not entirely binding, border management remains a matter of national decision. (Prague Morning, 29.06.2020)

European Union Travel restrictions: Council reviews the list of countries for which member states should gradually lift travel restrictions at the external border

Following a review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, the Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. As stipulated in the Council recommendation, this list will continue to be reviewed regularly and, as the case may be, updated.

Based on the criteria and conditions set out in the recommendation, as from 31 July member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries:

AustraliaCanadaGeorgiaJapanMoroccoNew ZealandRwandaSouth KoreaThailandTunisiaUruguayChina, subject to confirmation of reciprocity

Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican should be considered as EU residents for the purpose of this recommendation.

The criteria to determine the third countries for which the current travel restriction should be lifted cover in particular the epidemiological situation and containment measures, including physical distancing, as well as economic and social considerations. They are applied cumulatively.

Regarding the epidemiological situation, third countries listed should meet the following criteria, in particular:

number of new COVID-19 cases over the last 14 days and per 100 000 inhabitants close to or below the EU average (as it stood on 15 June 2020)stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period in comparison to the previous 14 daysoverall response to COVID-19 taking into account available information, including on aspects such as testing, surveillance, contact tracing, containment, treatment and reporting, as well as the reliability of the information and, if needed, the total average score for International Health Regulations (IHR). Information provided by EU delegations on these aspects should also be taken into account.

Reciprocity should also be taken into account regularly and on a case-by-case basis.

For countries where travel restrictions continue to apply, the following categories of people should be exempted from the restrictions:

EU citizens and their family memberslong-term EU residents and their family memberstravellers with an essential function or need, as listed in the Recommendation.

Schengen associated countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) also take part in this recommendation.

European Union Council updates the list of countries for which member states should gradually lift travel restrictions at the external borders

Following the first review under the recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU, the Council updated the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted. This list will continue to be reviewed and, as the case may be, updated every two weeks.

Based on the criteria and conditions set out in the recommendation, as from 16 July member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries:

Algeria
Australia
Canada
Georgia
Japan
Morocco
New Zealand
Rwanda
South Korea
Thailand
Tunisia
Uruguay
China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity

Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican should be considered as EU residents for the purpose of this recommendation.

The criteria to determine the third countries for which the current travel restriction should be lifted cover in particular the epidemiological situation and containment measures, including physical distancing, as well as economic and social considerations. They are applied cumulatively.

Regarding the epidemiological situation, third countries listed should meet the following criteria, in particular:

number of new COVID-19 cases over the last 14 days and per 100 000 inhabitants close to or below the EU average (as it stood on 15 June 2020)stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period in comparison to the previous 14 daysoverall response to COVID-19 taking into account available information, including on aspects such as testing, surveillance, contact tracing, containment, treatment and reporting, as well as the reliability of the information and, if needed, the total average score for International Health Regulations (IHR). Information provided by EU delegations on these aspects should also be taken into account.

Reciprocity should also be taken into account regularly and on a case-by-case basis.

For countries where travel restrictions continue to apply, the following categories of people should be exempted from the restrictions:

EU citizens and their family memberslong-term EU residents and their family memberstravellers with an essential function or need, as listed in the recommendation.

Schengen associated countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) also take part in this recommendation.

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/07/16/council-updates-the-list-of-countries-for-which-member-states-should-gradually-lift-travel-restrictions-at-the-external-borders/

European Union The European Union Council will update its list of epidemiologically safe third-countries, by removing Serbia and Montenegro from it, due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in both Western Balkan countries.

EU diplomats told RFE/RL (which were not named by the medium) that the Council has decided not to add any new countries to the list, considering the epidemiological situation in these countries is not safe, instead only removing Serbia and Montenegro from the list.

The same sources confirmed that travel from the United States was not even part of the discussions, mainly due to the sharply increasing number of Coronavirus cases all across the US.

The European Union has decided to drop Serbia and Montenegro from its safe list of countries from which non-essential travel is allowed, and did not even discuss including the United States given its sharp rise in coronavirus cases, EU officials said.

While there was a possibility of removing Algeria and Morocco from the list as well, as proposed by some EU countries, the majority were against, pointing out the number of infections in these countries remains low.

An updated list of the remaining 13 countries will be announced in the following days. The list remains a recommendation, and it depends on the EU and the Schengen Member States, to fully or partially apply it, or to reject implementing it as some countries as Hungary have done so far.

The 13 countries that remain on the EU list are as follows: Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.

European Union Council agrees to start lifting travel restrictions for residents of some third countries.

The Council today adopted a recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU. Travel restrictions should be lifted for countries listed in the recommendation, with this list being reviewed and, as the case may be, updated every two weeks.

Based on the criteria and conditions set out in the recommendation, as from 1 July member states should start lifting the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries:

Algeria
Australia
Canada
Georgia
Japan
Montenegro
Morocco
New Zealand
Rwanda
Serbia
South Korea
Thailand
Tunisia
Uruguay
China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity

Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican should be considered as EU residents for the purpose of this recommendation.

The criteria to determine the third countries for which the current travel restriction should be lifted cover in particular the epidemiological situation and containment measures, including physical distancing, as well as economic and social considerations. They are applied cumulatively.

Regarding the epidemiological situation, third countries listed should meet the following criteria, in particular:

number of new COVID-19 cases over the last 14 days and per 100 000 inhabitants close to or below the EU average (as it stood on 15 June 2020)stable or decreasing trend of new cases over this period in comparison to the previous 14 daysoverall response to COVID-19 taking into account available information, including on aspects such as testing, surveillance, contact tracing, containment, treatment and reporting, as well as the reliability of the information and, if needed, the total average score for International Health Regulations (IHR). Information provided by EU delegations on these aspects should also be taken into account.

Reciprocity should also be taken into account regularly and on a case-by-case basis.

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/06/30/council-agrees-to-start-lifting-travel-restrictions-for-residents-of-some-third-countries/

European Union *****

International restrictions:

European Union will continue to ban travelers from Brazil, Russia, U.S when borders reopen on 1 July because of COVID-19 threat (Al Jazeera, 26.06.2020)

European Union will reopen the borders to citizens of 14 countries starting from July 1. The list includes Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Thailand, Uruguay, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Georgia, Montenegro and Serbia. Travelers from China would be approved to enter, but under the condition that Beijing would do the same for Europeans.
Some EU countries have requested a delay in the decision for further examination, meaning the decision may be revised. The list is not entirely binding, border management remains a matter of national decision. (Prague Morning, 29.06.2020)

European Union From mid-June passengers can travel by train from Prague to Berlin, Vienna, Bratislava and Warsaw.(Radio.cz, 25.06.2020)

Six airlines will be offering direct connections to 17 airports in nine countries and regions, including Sicily, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg, between July and October. The destinations and schedules include seven airports in Germany, and two each in Ireland and Switzerland. The airlines are Air Malta, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Lufthansa, Swiss and Luxair. (Times Malta, 11.06.2020)

*****

International restrictions:

EU External Borders to Remain Closed at Least Until the end of June: Third-country nationals will be unable to travel to the Schengen Area for nonessential purposes, at least until the end of June, the European Interior Ministers have agreed. European Union countries may bar U.S. travelers because of COVID-19 outbreak. (Reuters, 23.06.2020)

While the European Commission (EC) recommends that member states close their external borders to all non-EU citizens until 15 June. The ban will affect all non-EU nationals except long-term residents, family members of EU nationals and diplomats, cross-border and healthcare workers, and people transporting goods. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland UK citizens will be unaffected. The Ireland/Northern Ireland border is not affected. Internal travel within the EU remains based upon each countries’ respective restrictions.

The European Union has imposed travel bans on a number of worldwide airlines, citing the failure to meet safety requirements amid the raging coronavirus pandemic.
The restrictions, outlined in a lately released report, apply additionally to Armenian air carriers, together with Armenia, Armenian Airways, Armenian Helicopters, Atlantis America Airways, Atlantis European Airways, Mars Avia and Sky Ball. (Reporter.am, 02.06.2020)

European Union
Six airlines will be offering direct connections to 17 airports in nine countries and regions, including Sicily, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg, between July and October. The destinations and schedules include seven airports in Germany, and two each in Ireland and Switzerland. The airlines are Air Malta, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Lufthansa, Swiss and Luxair. (Times Malta, 11.06.2020)

*****

International restrictions:

EU External Borders to Remain Closed at Least Until the end of June: Third-country nationals will be unable to travel to the Schengen Area for nonessential purposes, at least until the end of June, the European Interior Ministers have agreed. European Union countries may bar U.S. travelers because of COVID-19 outbreak. (Reuters, 23.06.2020)

While the European Commission (EC) recommends that member states close their external borders to all non-EU citizens until 15 June. The ban will affect all non-EU nationals except long-term residents, family members of EU nationals and diplomats, cross-border and healthcare workers, and people transporting goods. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland UK citizens will be unaffected. The Ireland/Northern Ireland border is not affected. Internal travel within the EU remains based upon each countries’ respective restrictions.

The European Union has imposed travel bans on a number of worldwide airlines, citing the failure to meet safety requirements amid the raging coronavirus pandemic.
The restrictions, outlined in a lately released report, apply additionally to Armenian air carriers, together with Armenia, Armenian Airways, Armenian Helicopters, Atlantis America Airways, Atlantis European Airways, Mars Avia and Sky Ball. (Reporter.am, 02.06.2020)

European Union The EU Commission recommends:
 to prolong the application of the current travel restriction on non-essential travel
to the EU until 30 June 2020. Applying the coordination mechanism set out under
Chapter V, the intervening period should be used by the Commission and the Member
States to prepare a list of those third countries for which travel restrictions can be
lifted as from 1 July 2020. That list should be regularly updated in line with the
criteria set out in this Communication. For all third countries that are not on that list
by 30 June, the Commission recommends that Member States prolong the travel
restriction on non-essential travel until they are put on the list of countries where
travel restrictions could be lifted.

 to lift the application of the travel restriction on non-essential travel from the following countries/partners as of 1 July 2020:
o Albania;
o Bosnia and Herzegovina;
o Kosovo;
o Montenegro;
o North Macedonia;
o Serbia.

For those countries where no decision has been taken to end the temporary travel restriction for non-essential travel into the EU, the exemptions18 should be amended as follows:
a) EU citizens and citizens of Schengen Associated States and third country nationals
legally residing in the European Union, as well as their family members, should be
exempted from the travel restriction, regardless whether or not they are
returning home. Member States can, however, take appropriate measures such as
requiring such persons to undergo self-isolation or similar measures upon return from
a third country for which the temporary restriction on non-essential travel is
maintained, provided they impose the same requirements on their own nationals;
b) The specific categories of travellers with an essential function or need 19 should be
extended to include also:

 third-country nationals travelling for the purpose of study;
 highly qualified third-country workers if their employment is necessary from an
economic perspective and the work cannot be postponed or performed abroad.

European Union

International restrictions:

EU External Borders to Remain Closed at Least Until the End of June: Third-country nationals will be unable to travel to the Schengen Area for nonessential purposes, at least until the end of June, the European Interior Ministers have agreed. While the European Commission (EC) recommends that member states close their external borders to all non-EU citizens until 15 June. The ban will affect all non-EU nationals except long-term residents, family members of EU nationals and diplomats, cross-border and healthcare workers, and people transporting goods. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland UK citizens will be unaffected. The Ireland/Northern Ireland border is not affected. Internal travel within the EU remains based upon each countries’ respective restrictions.

The European Union has imposed travel bans on a number of worldwide airlines, citing the failure to meet safety requirements amid the raging coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions, outlined in a lately released report, apply additionally to Armenian air carriers, together with Armenia, Armenian Airways, Armenian Helicopters, Atlantis America Airways, Atlantis European Airways, Mars Avia and Sky Ball. (Reporter.am, 02.06.2020)