On Monday, August 30^th, the European Union (EU) removed the United States from the designated list of “safe” arriving countries. The next day, on August 31^st, Italy implemented travel restrictions for those arriving from the U.S. Over the past week, several other EU countries have followed suit and established additional restrictions for U.S. travelers. Please find an overview of the most up-to-date information for several EU countries below. Continued changes and updates are expected in the coming weeks as each EU country continues to take precautionary travel measures. Travelers from the U.S. are encouraged to confirm travel restrictions for each destination country before departure.

Italy

Any traveler who has been in the U.S. two weeks before arrival in Italy must present a
negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival and complete a digital passenger locator form, regardless of vaccination status. Unvaccinated travelers will also be subject to a five-day quarantine and must submit to an additional Covid-19 test at the conclusion of their isolation period.

Sweden

As of September 6^th, Sweden has reinstated its travel ban for travelers from the U.S. Only U.S. travelers who meet an exemption from the entry ban may enter Sweden. If a U.S. traveler meets an exemption, they must present a Covid-19 test no older than 48 hours.

Bulgaria

On September 1^st, the Bulgarian Ministry of Health announced that the U.S. is now classified as a “red zone” country. All travelers from the U.S., regardless of vaccination status, may enter Bulgaria only if they meet a stated travel exception.

The Netherlands

Beginning September 4th, the Netherlands has classified the U.S. as a “very high-risk area.” Accordingly, travelers from the U.S. must show proof of full vaccination, must present a negative Covid-19 test taken within 24 hours of departure, and submit to a mandatory 10-day quarantine on arrival.

Spain

Unvaccinated U.S. travelers are no longer permitted to enter Spain for non-essential purposes, such as tourism. This restriction comes after Spain removed the U.S. from the unrestricted countries list.

Germany

Similar to Spain, Germany no longer allows unvaccinated travelers from the U.S. to enter for non-essential purposes. Unrestricted entry to Germany is only permitted if the traveler can show an urgent need to travel or if they can present proof of full vaccination.

Denmark

Effective September 4, Denmark has classified the U.S. as “orange.” Under this classification, fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. may enter Denmark for any purpose, including tourism. If a traveler from the U.S. is unvaccinated, they may only enter for a “worthy purpose.”

While several EU countries have established travel bans and new restrictions for U.S. travelers, countries such as France have not yet implemented new restrictions, and Portugal has confirmed that the U.S. will remain on the “allowed” list, which permits non-essential travel if the traveler can present a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure.
Foster will continue to monitor and make clients aware of Covid-related travel restrictions likely to impact travel to and from the United States. Future updates may be found on the Foster website at www.fosterglobal.com.