On Tuesday, January 25, the Council of the European Union adopted a recommendation for a coordinated approach to facilitating safe travel within the EU. The recommendation will enter into force on February 1, 2022. However, it is important to note that the adoption of this recommendation is left up to the decision of individual EU countries. Therefore, travelers must continue to review and abide by each EU country’s travel restrictions before travel.
Key Changes
Under the new recommendation, the following changes would occur:
- COVID-19 measures would be applied based on the status of the person — their vaccination or recovery status — and not based on where they are traveling from. The only exception would be for travelers from areas where COVID is circulating at very high levels.
- Travelers with a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) should not be subject to additional restrictions to free movement.
- A valid EU DCC includes:
- A vaccination certificate showing the last dose of an approved vaccine was administered between 14 and 270 days before or if the person has received a booster dose; OR
- a negative PCR test result obtained no more than 72 hours before travel or a negative rapid antigen test obtained no more than 24 hours before travel; OR
- a certificate of recovery indicating that no more than 180 days have passed since the date of the first positive test result.
- A valid EU DCC includes:
- Travelers without an EU digital COVID certificate could be required to test upon arrival.
- There are exemptions for travelers with an essential need, cross-border commuters, and children under 12 years of age.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) would continue to publish a map indicating the risk of infection for each member state. Member states should apply additional measures for travelers without a DCC from the dark red areas, including testing and quarantine requirements upon arrival. There are exemptions for travelers with an essential need, cross-border commuters, and children under 12 years of age.
Erickson Insights
The decision to introduce restrictions on free movement is the responsibility of each EU country, despite the aforementioned recommendation by the EU council.
It is highly recommended that travelers review and abide by each EU country’s travel restrictions before travel.
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to share updates as more news is available. If you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions, please contact your employer or EIG attorney.