European travel restrictions: Non-essential travel curbed

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many countries worldwide continue to restrict entry and most travel remains discouraged. DW Travel offers a brief recap of what rules apply in the EU — and how to get the latest info.

Several European Union nations, including Belgium, France, Portugal and Finland, have announced new travel or entry regulations. This follows discussions among EU leaders about restricting nonessential trips across the bloc's internal borders to contain the spread of the coronavirus, particularly the mutant strains emerging from the UK, South Africa and Brazil. Though travel into the EU is already severely restricted, beginning Sunday January 24, anybody arriving from outside the EU — possible only for those with essential reasons — would have to have a test for COVID-19 before departure. To combat the virulent UK strain, the EU has already blocked all but freight or travelers on essential trips from entering the bloc from Britain.

Detailed information is available on the European Commission website.

Complete information and resources for each of the individual 27 EU member states is also available on the EU's Reopen EU website.

However, each EU country maintains its own standards for deciding whether and how citizens of third countries may enter if they are already in an EU or Schengen country. Each EU member state also decides and implements its own further measures to curb the spread of the pandemic, such as quarantines upon entry from another region or country. Local regulations also differ widely on various social distancing measures, curfews and mask-wearing requirements.

In order to provide travelers in Europe with a better overview of the corona infection situation and possible restrictions, the EU has introduced a coronavirus traffic light system . According to this, the EU is divided into green, orange and red zones. In addition, there is the color gray for regions from which not enough data are available. Currently, the color red dominates the continent.

If you still have to travel, the EU Commission's Re-open EU App can also help. It provides up-to-date information on the health situation, safety precautions, and travel restrictions for all EU countries and the members of the border-free Schengen area, which includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.

Please note: The information listed here is not exhaustive, serves as a reference only and is subject to change at any time. All travelers to and within Europe, the EU and the Schengen Area are strongly advised to keep informed with the official guidance and regulations of local, state and national authorities of the relevant countries.

On February 25, the EU decided to introduce a uniform vaccination certificate for travelers by the summer. Especially traditional vacation countries like Greece are pinning high hopes on the vaccination cards. The Greek and Cypriot governments have also already concluded a bilateral agreement with Israel, according to which from April all Israeli nationals will be able to enter the country without any problems if they show Israel's recently-introduced "green pass," which provides proof that the bearer has been vaccinated. Malta is also in talks to this effect with Israel.

Sweden and Denmark have announced the creation of electronic vaccination certificates, which will be used primarily when traveling abroad. In Estonia, on the other hand, entrants are already exempt from the general quarantine requirement if they present proof of vaccination. The same applies in Poland, where an app is being developed specifically for this purpose.

Germany, along with France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, is among the world's 10 most-visited countries, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. Travel to France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom remain heavily restricted.

Germany

Tourism in Germany remains prohibited for the time being. Hotels are not allowed to offer overnight stays for tourist purposes, tourist visas are only granted in exceptional cases. Travel within the country is now only possible for certain essential reasons, for example business trips, and is made more difficult by ever-changing regulations that must be observed. In places with a particularly high incidence (more than 200 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week), the radius of movement is restricted to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) around the place of residence. Thus, anyone considering or planning travel over 15 kilometers away from home must keep apprised of the regulations in effect in the destination area.

Throughout Germany a lockdown has been in effect since mid-December and will remain until at least March 28. This means that stores (except for those that sell or daily necessities) and restaurants are closed

The EU is pushing ahead with work on a single COVID-19 vaccination passport

Empty beaches where the masses sunbathed before the pandemic - a picture that has almost become familiar