Posted on 
March 30, 2020

Covid-19 travel restrictions by country

Updated 14 September 2020

We appreciate many people may still need to travel despite the economic slowdown and will want to do so in a safe, reliable way. Navigating the various travel restrictions can be quite complicated. There are many variables that impact your right to travel and whether you need to quarantine or bring a health certificate with you on your trip.

Pre-travel resources

To help us make fast, sound decisions, the teams at TripsGuard and at Sitata have created highly-recommended, interactive tools you can use prior to making your booking.

How does TripsGuard work?

Enter your destination country and the tool does the rest. It will tell you if the country has travel restrictions and curfew or social distancing measures, among other things.

How does Sitata work?

Enter your destination country and the tool does the rest. It will also tell you if the country has travel restrictions and curfew or social distancing measures, among other things.

Important: We would like to remind you that the TripsGuard and Sitata tools are not substitutes for information from official government channels. We recommend you consult the websites of relevant embassies for detailed information and to obtain any required certifications prior to travel.

If you want information concerning the situation in European Union countries from an official website you can visit this page.

You can also visit the Schengen Visa Info website before making any bookings. It will give you a clear timeline of when EU member states are planning to reopen their borders and conditions required by each EU country.

French borders

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Minister for the Interior have announced that restrictions on travel to France from countries in the European Zone (EU Member States, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, and the Vatican) have been lifted as of midnight 15 June 2020. Travellers from these European countries will not be subject to any form of quarantine.

As of 16 July, the EU is recommending that Member States reopen borders and lift travel restrictions considered non-essential. The following countries are therefore allowed to travel to Europe without any restrictions: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay.

For other countries, the opening will depend on the health situation in the origin countries and procedures at EU level. Many restrictions still apply across the globe (e.g., no air connectivity, complete entry bans, mandatory quarantine periods). Thus, French authorities advise avoiding travel to countries outside the EU zone until further notice.

As of 1 August, passengers arriving in France by plane from a high-risk country (all countries not mentioned above) must have tested negative for Covid-19 in the 72 hours prior to arrival. Otherwise, passengers must undergo a mandatory test at the airport. Moreover, they must complete the appropriate international travel document.

Quarantines

Before booking your trip, you should be aware that many European countries continue to apply 14-day quarantines upon entry (updated 14 September 2020).

  • Belgium: Passengers arriving from outside EU and Schengen countries and several other regions are required to self-isolate for 14 days and will be tested upon their arrival. Passengers coming from certain regions of France (such as Île-de-France) are also subject to quarantine and must provide a negative test on arrival. More information can be found here.
  • Denmark: Anyone entering Denmark from a high-risk country is required to self-quarantine for 14 days. As of 12 September 2020, passengers from Andorra, Belgium, Croatia, France, Luxembourg, Monaco, Malta, Romania, San Marino, Spain, and the Czech Republic are allowed for "worthy" purposes only (not for tourism).
  • Germany: All arrivals from high-risk countries will be required to quarantine for 14 days. Passengers arriving from certain regions of France will have to present a negative PCR test that is less than 72 hours old or undergo a mandatory free test at the airport.
  • Ireland: Anyone entering Ireland is required to restrict movement for 14 days. This does not apply to arrivals from green countries (France is not considered a green country).
  • The Netherlands: Anyone arriving in the Netherlands from highly impacted areas (including Paris) is required to undergo 10 days of self-quarantine.
  • Spain: There is no requirement to quarantine currently in place when entering the territory. However, anyone arriving in Spain will undergo a temperature check.
  • Switzerland: Anyone entering Switzerland from countries defined as high-risk will be required to quarantine for 10 days. The list of countries is updated regularly and can be found here.
  • The United Kingdom: Passengers arriving from select countries and territories will not be required to self-isolate on arrival into the UK. The full list of applicable countries and territories can be found on the UK government website here. As of 15 August 2020, travellers arriving from France into the UK must undergo a 14-day quarantine.

The situation is constantly evolving and we will update this list as frequently as possible. We also encourage you to visit the above websites.

Administrative requirements

Some countries require international travellers to follow mandatory administrative procedures, such as the completion of online forms.

  • Belgium: As of 1 August, anyone entering Belgium from abroad or wishing to stay in Belgium for more than 48 hours will have to fill in a Passenger Locator Form. It must be filled in online within 48 hours of your arrival in Belgium.
  • Greece: All visitors are required to submit the Passenger Location Form (PLF) 48 hours prior to travel. Visitors will receive a QR code that will be scanned upon arrival. QR code screening staff will direct passengers, based on their QR code, either to the Covid-19 test area or to the airport exit.
  • Ireland: Before entering Ireland, you must complete a Public Health Passenger Locator Form.
  • Italy: As of 12 August 2020, all people entering Italy who, in the previous fourteen days, have stayed in or travelled through Croatia, Greece, Malta, or Spain, must present either a negative test or must undergo a preventive test when arriving at the airport.
  • The Netherlands: Anyone arriving in the Netherlands from a high-risk country, will be required to complete a health declaration form.
  • Spain: Anyone flying to Spain has to fill a Passenger Data form.
  • Switzerland: If experiencing symptoms of illness when entering, you will be required to complete a questionnaire and follow its recommendations.
  • The United Kingdom: Anyone entering the UK will be required to fill in an online form providing journey and contact details.

Safety

Before travelling, you might want to know how the Covid-19 pandemic is evolving in the region to which you want to travel. The Deep Knowledge Group has developed a safety score for each country to help you understand and visualise this. You can consult the Covid-19 regional safety assessment by geography and the Covid-19 regional safety assessment report.

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