Is there a website to register at?
Hi Eric,
This is the German Website (English): https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de/#/
After putting in the US it generally wonāt let you fully proceed until about 4 days before your flight. (But if you just indicate you are flying on one of the available dates, you can scroll through to see what it wants.) The key part of it is that at the end, coming from the US, it asks you to upload your 1/ proof of vaccine or 2/ fresh negative covid test results.
Eric - Followup post. Wow! I just clicked on my own link to see if it worked, and now when you put in US (or at least when i just did), it says the US is not a risk area and filling out the form is not required! This represents a big change from when I went through the process just last Friday!
Another update on Spain - the official Spanish Travel Health Department website is now much clearer and specifically states that no negative test is necessary for fully vaccinated travelers.
Of course, as Robert pointed out earlier, you might want to check with your airline beforehand in case their requirements do not match those of the destination country.
It hasnāt changed - we are Swiss citizens. As of today, American citizens flying from the USA are only allowed in certain circumstances (which exclude tourism).
I had originally thought my backup to London/Paris/Vienna trip in September would be all Britain.
I thought the higher vaccination rate would make it more likely. But travel restrictions are coming back between GB and EU (or at least some countries).
So now Iām thinking of either all France, or France and Vienna, depending on whether I need a test to move within the EU
I will add to this being on the ground here in Portugal. There is great concern about the potential for a 4th wave of the pandemic taking hold. A few weeks ago Portugal had the lowest level of new infections in Europe but in recent days there has been a dramatic upsurge. Especially in Lisbon, the Algarve and Alentejo as the Delta variant has shown a high level of community spread. Beginning today there is restricted weekend travel in the greater Lisbon region and the health authorities are clearly worried. Given the still relatively low level of fully vaccinated residents I would be surprised if the situation in Europe does not worsen more broadly. Please be vigilant and be sure that all of your reservations are refundable if necessary.
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Just received an email from Delta re: flight to Rome next weekā¦no more pre-travel testing as long as you have been fully vaccinated!
From Delta.com:
Effective June 21, 2021, the Italian Government has updated entry requirements for travel to Italy. Passengers from the United States who are vaccinated, or who can provide proof of either a negative COVID test or full recovery from COVID-19 can now enter Italy without quarantine. This welcome news means that Deltaās flights to Italy will no longer require multiple COVID tests to travel. Based on the latest update from the Italian government, you can now enter Italy quarantine-free by presenting one of the following documents for entry:
Certificate of vaccination ā please be sure to bring your CDC-issued vaccination card or EU Green Certificate. Keep in mind you must be fully vaccinated; meaning you have had your last vaccine at least 14 days before your departure.
A negative Antigen, PCR, or Molecular COVID-19 test results from a test taken within 48 hours of arrival in Italy from a test provider of your choice. For your convenience, please note that through June 30th, Delta will have testing facilities available in Atlanta (ATL) and New York (JFK) airports if you need a test before departure, or
Certificate of Recovery from COVID dated no more than 6 months before arrival to Italy
Please note that customers are still required to pre-register and fill in a digital Passenger Locator Form (dPLF) prior to boarding
Minors traveling with parents/guardians are also eligible to enter Italy without quarantine based on the following:
Minors age 6-18: must provide proof of full vaccination (last dose at least 14 days before departure) or proof of a negative Antigen, PCR, or Molecular COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of arrival in Italy
Minors under the age of 6 can enter without vaccination or testing requirements
Please click here to learn more about specific travel requirements for these flights
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I will add my two (Euro) cents as an American living in Paris. We are in an unprecedented best-of-times/worst-of-times situation for travel to Europe. On the one hand, there are still certain limitations, hassles and even risks, many of which have already been noted. On the other hand, one of the (few) silver linings of the pandemic for me as a foreigner in Paris/France has been the very lack of tourists, and a certain increased hospitability by Parisians (and in the regions as well), who implicitly understood that I was a resident and not just another tourist passing through (I speak decent French but certainly not with native fluency). In our (admittedly limited) travels within France and to Spain since the pandemic started, we have also experienced greater than usual warmth from those whose livelihoods depend on tourism. I think this sentiment will persist to a considerable degree this summer but will fade when/if things start to get back to normal.
I think summer 2021 is a potentially wonderful time to come to Europe in general and the more open countries (e.g. France, Spain, Italy, Greece) in particular for those who:
- are fully vaxxed, obviously
- consider a trip to Europe like a return visit to an old friend, e.g. they are not looking to check off a laundry list of items on a to-do list, but rather to enjoy some dolce far niente, and to eat and drink well, and to have a few serendipitous adventures
- want to focus on a more immersive experience in one country or better still one region of a country
- are generally just flexible and open-minded in their approach to travel.
On the other hand, itās perhaps not the right time to come for those who:
- would regard such a trip, or specific things to be done on it, as a bucket list event
- want to have a five-countries-in-seven days sort of trip, or to visit a country thatās experiencing a worse-than-average Covid surge, or to travel between the UK and EU
- arenāt prepared to wear a mask when legally required, which in France generally means in public places indoors and in very crowded situations outdoors
- prefer a more regimented approach to travel (this doesnāt mean that reservations shouldnāt be made, whether for museums, restaurants, what have you ā in many ways theyāre more important than ever ā but just that a degree of flexibility and ability to accommodate potential disruptions cheerfully will be very helpful).
In terms of information resources in English, I can recommend thelocal.com and its national versions (e.g. thelocal.fr) ā I have no affiliation but am a paying subscriber (one gets a limited number of free articles), e.g. with articles such as these:
As for anecdotal evidence, my wife flew in from Russia eight days ago (at the time, Russia was in the same category as the EU) and it sufficed to show her US vaccination card; she also had evidence of a PCR test done in Moscow but that was not required. And in any event, Franceās new policy is that vaccinated travelers donāt need to show any kind of test. (Just bear in mind that vaccinated means that the requisite amount of time has lapsed, i.e. 14 days from 2d Pfizer/Moderna and 28 days since Janssen.) If you are traveling with younger kids (who canāt have been vaccinated), France at least will now accept an antigen test (it was a real challenge for us to get a PCR test for our 7-year old in April coming back from the USA, which was required because we were transiting Spain where the age threshold for testing was 6 years old and not 11 as in France). Also donāt forget is that current US policy is still to require a Covid test from all persons flying into the US with very limited exceptions (e.g., 3 year olds and vaccinated persons still must show a fresh test), though perhaps that will change. Fortunately, they accept antigen tests, which are extremely easy to obtain.
[edited to add the comment on masks; reflect that the Janssen threshold is 28 days, not 21; and to add another link to a The Local article]
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Great post, thanks.
Rethinking my September London/Paris/Vienna trip to be all France. Hard to predict September but new quarantine requirements in fine countries even if transiting LHR give me concern about crossing mire borders.
We had pretty much given up on Europe this summer and had instead thought about New England/Quebec in the Fall. Now with Europe opening and Canda still closed, weāre back on the Europe track. Probably stick to one country (Italy) just to minimize the bullshit. We originally planned this trip for May 2020ā¦
Glad it was helpful. And I agree you would do well to consider visiting just France. The rules re the UK have changed frequently ā for a while, France had UK on the green list (so no limits at all) even while UK imposed a quarantine on arrivals from France; but now France and I believe the rest of the EU has put the UK in a category inferior now to the US and Canada (i.e., you need a motif imperieux (āurgent reasonā) to visit). To be sure, by September things could be hunky-dory, but itās not something one can count on. Adding on Vienna could be more feasible (for the avoidance of any doubt, there are now intra-EU border controls in effect; but the rules for travel within the EU are generally much more relaxed, certainly for France ā proof of vaccine or a PCR test is sufficient). However, if you are content to spend your entire trip in France, that is the least risky course by a good margin. And travel in 2021 is all about risk mitigation.
I received an email today from American Airlines today with a link to check the requirements for both departure to and return from Spain. I was very pleased to see that the information on their website matched what I have seen on the Spain Tourist Health site - fully vaccinated travelers from the US do not need a negative test to enter.
Since both Spain and AA agree on requirements, I feel pretty confident not getting a test before departure, provided nothing changes between now and then.
I assume flying to France via London is risky as well, even if one just transits LHR?
We just returned from a 7 day cruise along the Croatian coast. We transited via Germany (FRA on the outbound, MUC on the return) with no issues even though it hadnāt āreopenedā to Americans yet. While we are fully vaccinated, we were never asked for any proof. We did have to show negative test results multiple times in both directions even though it wasnāt clear they were required for in-transit passengers. We did a rapid test at a local CVS just before our departure and the eMed online test before our return home. The latter worked perfectly while on our ship and we didnāt have to spend any time in port finding a local testing site. The only drawback is the tests are only offered in packs of 6 tests so after sharing with another couple, we still have 2 left over.
UK is an āorangeā country (and even transiting it counts as coming from there) so if you are fully vaxxed that means you would need a PCR no older than 72 hours or an antigen test no older than 48 hours (whereas if you fly directly from the USA or Canada you donāt need any test if fully vaxxed). Not an insurmountable challenge, but the rules could change for the worse. So I would certainly prefer to avoid transiting the UK if feasible ā certainly not to save $100 on a ticket or to collect a few extra frequent flier miles (as much as I love them).
Also, you had mentioned going to Vienna; this article suggests that Austria is still effectively closed to US tourists (I imagine that may change soon, but one canāt be sure): https://www.thelocal.fr/20210623/compar ā¦ ravellers/.
Troubling news for travelers - Israel delays reopening to tourists for a month (from July 1 to August 1) due to Delta virus. This in spite of one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.
Now with France, Italy, Spain wide open, how long before a major fourth wave given low vaccination rates and being more open than Israel. Upthread comments indicate it seems to be already starting in Portugal.
I may need a backup to my backup plan.
Flew to Paris on Thursday evening on Air France out of Terminal 1 at JFK. We were asked twice at check in for our vaccination card. Never asked again inside the terminal, boarding or on the Paris side. No covid test required with a vacc card.
Paris is absolutely lovely. NO tourists. City is alive and starting to open up but nowhere near normal (but in a good way)
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Leaving for Italy today! Will report back after we land tomorrowā¦
Gus
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Just got back from a week in Paris plus time in Strasbourg & Frankfurt. Paris could not have been more glorious. Scores if not hundreds of new terrasses everywhere, with the French & French families out in droves. Absolutely outstanding. Almost completely zero tourists. Had to be very quick on certain bookings - the Comedie Francaise, the best terrrasses at the best times, etc. - but if you are on it, you can essentially get anything you want. Really an extraordinary, wonderful time.
Trains between France and Germany ran without Covid questions or checks at any time. (I did have proof of vaccination with me.) Returning Frankfurt to Seattle was no problem - negative test was required, and was checked carefully by Lufthansa at the airport, but tests were available all over Frankfurt, incl at the Train Station & Airport.
Hotels in Frankfurt required proof of vaccination or recent negative test. Hotels in Paris and Strasbourg did not.
Really an extraordinary, wonderful trip.