On February 22, 2022, the European Council, the highest political body of the European Union, announced new rules for entry into the EU countries from third countries in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From March 1, 2022, EU members were advised to allow non-essential (tourist) trips of third-country nationals if they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from coronavirus, or are traveling from countries that are on the EU green list. Now some EU countries prohibit even fully vaccinated citizens of some countries from entering for tourism purposes, for example, Italy and Malta.

The European Council also recommends that restrictions be lifted for those who have been vaccinated if the administered drug is approved in Europe or by the World Health Organization (WHO). In this case, the vaccination certificate is valid on the 14th day after vaccination for 270 days. You can increase its validity period after receiving a booster vaccination.

It was proposed to equate those who had been ill with coronavirus to be vaccinated. The certificate of recovery will be valid for 180 days.

EU countries have also been allowed to require PCR tests and quarantine travelers who have been vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine (such as CoronaVac, which is popular in Ukraine), if it is not approved in Europe. A similar requirement may apply to survivors. Tourists who have been vaccinated with an EU-approved vaccine and have a European-style vaccination certificate will be exempted from testing. We remind you that in Ukraine, vaccination certificates in the Diia application or from the Diia portal with a QR code comply with European requirements.

Rules for traveling with children

Adults allowed to enter the EU will be able to take unvaccinated children under 18 with them. The European Council proposes not to require anything from children under 6 years of age.

Children between 6 and 18 years of age will be required to take a PCR test before departure. Also, EU countries were allowed to introduce additional requirements for children from 6 to 18 years old - tests upon arrival and / or quarantine.

New criteria for the "green list"

The EU generates a green list of third countries with an acceptable level of incidence of COVID-19 and updates it every two weeks. If a country is included in this list, then its citizens can enter some EU countries without any restrictions.

According to the new rules, the European Council has changed the criteria for the formation of the list. The acceptable incidence rate of COVID-19 has been increased from 75 to 100 cases per 100,000 population over the past 14 days.

We would like to emphasize that the new rules are a recommendation for the EU countries. Their introduction does not mean that all members of the association will begin to apply the new rules from March 1. In each case, before planning a trip, check the current rules for entering the country of destination on the VisitUkraine.Today portal.