Poland, Iceland, and Seychelles are among those accepting vaccination certificates
While the administration of COVID-19 vaccines continues, countries have started responding to the increasing number of those vaccinated by opening up their borders. Although just a handful of countries has eased off restrictions so far, the list continues to grow. What countries have opened up to vaccinated visitors? Find out here.
Poland
Poland is among the latest countries to announce that individuals with completed vaccination rounds will be exempt from its 10-day quarantine requirement.
However, exemption doesn’t apply to all travelers — they must come from countries on Poland’s admission list. These include countries in the European Union and others in Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, and Tunisia.
In January, the Polish government waived the requirement to self-isolate upon entry, making it sufficient for a traveler to show a negative COVID-19 test that isn’t older than 48 hours. So, even if a traveler hasn’t been vaccinated, it’s still possible to enter the country.
Estonia
Apart from allowing in vaccinated travelers, this Northern European country is also welcoming those who have recovered from COVID-19 within the last six months. Upon arrival, it’s necessary to present a certificate of recovery with personal details in Latin or Slavic alphabet, in Estonian, Russian, or English language. Read more about the travel limitations for Estonia.
Georgia
Famous for its monasteries, snowy mountains, and wine tradition that goes back thousands of years, Georgia is among those opening up to international travel.
The government has announced that citizens of all countries who have undergone a full course of any COVID-19 vaccine are allowed into the country. The regulation came into effect on 1 February and so far only applies to those who arrive by air and can present a vaccination certificate.
It is still possible to enter the country unvaccinated, however, the requirements for entry are stricter, including a PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to arrival and a second test three days into the stay in the country.
Those who have been vaccinated won’t need to do a COVID-19 test before their arrival.
Iceland
Iceland will be opening its borders to vaccinated travelers on 1 May, meaning they can skip self-isolation and presentation of a negative PCR test.
Despite the reopening being good news, it will apply only to those coming from the EU, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The restrictions on entry have also been lifted for a number of non-EEA and Schengen countries, such as Australia, Singapore, and Thailand.
A valid vaccination certificate must be presented in Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, French, or English and must prove the holder has received two doses of one of the three main vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.
Romania
When planning a future trip, Romania might be one destination to look into, and now even more so as in mid-January, it opened up for individuals vaccinated against COVID-19.
In order to be exempt from the mandatory quarantine, travelers must present proof they received their last dose of vaccine at least 10 days prior to their arrival.
Seychelles
Dubbed “paradise on Earth”, the 115-island archipelago is highly dependent on profits from tourism and any step towards reopening borders is welcomed by this island nation in the Indian Ocean.
In January, the country became one of the world’s first to open up for vaccinated visitors, meaning they are not subject to mandatory quarantine and PCR tests. They will have to present valid proof of vaccination from their national health authority.
“We hope that this will open up the tourism industry for the locals primarily for the small hotels who are struggling on La Digue, Praslin, and also on Mahe. And also provide the kick that our economy desperately needs,” said Tourism Minister Sylvestre Radegonde back in January.
Once the majority of the country’s residents are vaccinated, the government plans to ease off restrictions on entry for non-vaccinated travelers.
So, is it time to start booking travel for 2021? The number of countries opening up is still small but there are talks of others joining in as more people receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Cyprus and Israel have agreed on a tourism deal allowing vaccinated individuals to travel freely between the two countries. Thailand has recently also announced it is considering lifting strict restrictions from vaccinated visitors, and it could become one of the first major tourist destinations to do so.
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