TripCast360 | E.U. to Allow Vaccinated American Travelers

Is it time to dust off those passports for vaccinated Americans? Here’s the latest on travel to the European continent. The European Union Commission has agreed to allow member states to begin admitting vaccinated travelers this summer.

To enter you must provide proof of E.U. approved vaccines. The three approved in the United States; Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson all qualify. There is internal conversations about some universally accepted proof so that travelers can move freely within the E.U. under one set of rules. Details are expected within the next few days..

A formal start date has not been announced yet. Everyone should expect it could take a few weeks up to a month to ramp up after the new procedures are implemented.

There is a great deal of confusion as some tourism dependent countries such as Greece, Spain, Iceland, Croatia, France and Italy have opened, or will open ahead of the E.U. timeline. The requirements for each of these countries are all over the map. Do you homework before booking that trip.

france landmark lights night — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Greece is already open despite going through a significant wave of COVID-19 outbreaks last month that prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a travel advisory. Greece a few days ago relaxed several restrictions for all travelers who enter Greece and for movement within the country. You can read the latest advisory on the U.S. State Department website.

As part of the E.U. plans, they will provide a list of countries deemed to have the pandemic under control. That list might be somewhat restrictive in certain places even for U.S. visitors. We will post that on TripCast360 when the list become available.

Be advised, the E.U. Commission recommendations for its member nations is just that, recommendations. Some countries may opt to have more restrictive entry requirements than others. For instance some locales still require a seven-day quarantine. The E.U. is working hard to come up with consistent polices.

Great Britain is no longer a member of the E.U. They have own entry requirements. You can begin to research those rules HERE.

It’s anticipated that travel will not pick up until late summer or early fall as traveler confidence and an increase in vaccination rates within the E.U. continue to knock down coronavirus outbreaks.