Italy to ease travel rules for EU citizens from February 1

Rome: The Italian Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza, has announced that starting from February 1, Italy will ease its COVID-19 restrictions for all travellers from European Union countries.

The Minister signed an order that states that all visitors from the EU would be permitted entry to the country by only presenting a Green Pass, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The Green Pass is a document that proves whether a person has been vaccinated, recovered, or tested negative recently.

This means that all EU citizens who present one of the above-mentioned certificates will soon be able to enter Italy without having to follow additional entry rules.

At the moment, the Italian authorities require all EU citizens to present a negative test upon their entry, regardless of their vaccination status and country of origin. However, since the Omicron variant is already widely spread within the EU, the authorities plan to remove the pre-entry testing requirement.

All EU/Schengen Area countries are currently part of Italy’s List C, except for the Vatican City State and San Marino, which are part of List A.

Travellers who reach Italy from List A are permitted restriction-free entry provided that they present a valid vaccination or recovery certificate. The two documents can be shown in paper or digital format.

Travellers from the rest of EU/Schengen Area countries that are placed on List C are currently required to present a vaccination or a recovery certificate along with a negative test result, which must be taken within 48 hours before arrival.

In addition, everyone is required to fill in a Digital Passenger Locator Form before entering Italy. The form replaces the self-declaration made to the transport operator and can be submitted digitally or in paper format.

Even though travellers from the EU will be required to meet the above-mentioned rules until February 1, they are still permitted entry for travel purposes without having to provide an essential reason for their trip.

“Free movement is allowed to and from these countries for any reason, therefore also for tourism, as long as you have not stayed in or passed through one of the countries on List E in the 14 days prior to entering Italy,” the Ministry of Health explains.

However, as soon as the new order enters into force, EU travellers will be able to enter Italy under more facilitated rules as well as will be exempt from the pre-entry testing requirement.

Previously, Italy abolished the travel ban imposed against the southern African countries. Since January 14, travellers from South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe, have been able to enter Italy provided that they meet strict entry rules.