Finally, the news you’ve been waiting for: Europe has announced its plans to reopen for vaccinated US travelers this summer! Cue the confetti ????
While some details have yet to be ironed out or announced, here’s what we know so far:
- American travelers who are fully vaccinated for Covid-19 will be able to visit the EU over the summer.
- The EU refers to the 27 member states of the European Union. In case you’re rusty on your European politics, that includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Most notably, the UK is no longer a part of the EU, so it’s up to them to make their own rules.
- Any of the currently-approved US vaccines—Moderna, Pfzier/BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson—will be accepted for proof of vaccination to visit the EU.
- At this point, individual countries will still be able to keep stricter requirements for visitors if they want—for example, to require quarantines as well as vaccination, or other precautionary restrictions. However, since many European countries rely on summer tourism for economic reasons, it’s expected that most—if not all—of the EU members will reopen for American travelers this summer.
When will Europe reopen to US travelers?
While we don’t yet have exact dates on when American travelers can visit Europe again, the EU has announced that because of the progress on vaccinations in the US, they plan to reopen the EU to vaccinated US travelers at some point this summer.
How will I be able to prove I’m vaccinated?
Currently, details for showing your vaccination status have yet to be announced. For now, most countries accepting vaccination as an entry requirement are asking you to travel with your CDC vaccination card. In the future, there may be a digital record that you will be able to show instead. For now, carrying that card with you is sufficient. Europe has not yet announced how they will require travelers to show their vaccination status.
Do I need a vaccine passport to visit Europe?
Vaccine passports will not be mandatory, or federally required, in the US. However, each country can make their own rules for visitors. The EU has been discussing the idea of a vaccine passport for EU citizens to be able to travel freely. As a result, it’s possible that US travelers to Europe may be able to use their certification system to get a EU vaccine passport on arrival as well. However, details on how this would work or what would be required are still undetermined.
Can I visit Europe if I’m not vaccinated?
Currently, the EU has only announced plans to reopen for vaccinated travelers. Of course, that may change in time. The EU may eventually open travel to those who have a negative Covid-19 test, or those who can show proof of having recovered from Covid-19 in the past 3 months, or so on. However, plans for doing so have not yet been announced. If you’re not vaccinated, there’s still lots of places you can visit—including several countries in Europe that have set their own rules, such as Iceland and Croatia. Here’s where Americans can travel right now (regardless of vaccination status).
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