What Covid travel restrictions are active around the world?

By Uglobal Staff

Countries around the world were forced to shut down their borders abruptly when the pandemic hit last year, but are now slowly but surely, taken steps to open their borders following the global rollout of vaccines.

While restrictions differ from country to country, most countries have tried to come up with post pandemic plans that can give a boost to their struggling economies without them being forced to compromise on health safety.

CANADA

• Canada is keeping its borders shut to all visitors except for citizens and residents; it is, however, continuing to process applications for permanent residency and work visas.
• Vaccinated American tourists will be allowed to enter from Aug. 9.
• The requirement that all travelers must quarantine at hotels is set to end on Aug. 9.
• Vaccinated travelers from all other countries would be able to cross Canadian borders from Sept. 7.

UNITED STATES

• Only essential travelers such as those going for medical reasons or truckers carrying trade goods or for attending educational institutions are being allowed in from Canada; restrictions to ease from Aug. 21.
• The US has suspended the entry of people from China, Iran, European Schengen area countries, the UK, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and India; US citizens from these areas and some of their noncitizen family members are able to enter the U.S.

UNITED KINGDOM

• The UK has a so-called traffic light system in place according to which it decides which non-British nationals can enter the country.
• All nationals who come from a long list of countries are not currently allowed to enter the country. This includes Turkey, India, South Africa etc.
• British citizens and UK residents who return to the UK from countries marked red on the list are required under the Home Office rules to quarantine for at least 10 days at designated hotels, carry out pre-arrival and at least two post arrival COVID tests exactly according to approved procedures.
• Starting from July 19, travelers arriving from list of countries that is marked in amber would be exempted from hotel quarantine but would need to do their pre-arrival and at least two post arrival COVID tests.
• Travelers from countries marked as green need to undergo just one pre-arrival and one post-arrival COVID test. Several countries including Antigua and Barbados, Cayman Islands, Australia are in this list.
• Global Talent Visa applicants as well as Start up/Innovator visa applicants have been allowed to apply conditionally even if their endorsements from approved bodies have expired; the condition is that the endorsement should have been made within the Jan 2020-Jan 2021 period.

EU/Schengen states

• EU has recommended member states to ease restrictions for travelers from the following states as of July 15: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Montenegro, New Zealand, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Republic of North Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Ukraine, the U.S., China, Hong Kong, Monaco, Kosovo, Taiwan.
• EU recommends visitors to be vaccinated with doses from EU recognized vaccines; those with negative tests and those who have recovered fully are also eligible provided they show proof.
• The EU Digital Covid Certificate must be used by EU residents and citizens, which basically reveals whether someone has received both doses of the vaccine; or has a negative COVID test or has fully recovered from the virus.

AUSTRALIA

• Australian borders remain closed to all except to Australian citizens; those who have permanent residency; those allowed into the country must undergo 14 day quarantine at authorized accommodations.
• Some exemptions exist for travelers from New Zealand; but not from nearby Cook Islands and Niue.

TURKEY

• Starting from July 1, Turkey has ended all curfew and inter-city travel restrictions for its citizens and residents.
• Travelers from Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka are not being allowed to enter the country.
• Anyone who has been to Afghanistan or Pakistan in the last 14 days would be quarantined at government approved facilities in Turkey for 10 days.
• Anyone coming from the UK, Iran, Egypt and Singapore would have to show a negative PCR test result prior to arrival; tourists and visitors on other visas would have to comply with pre-arrival and post arrival tests.

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