COVID-19 vaccine: the definitive list of countries open for travel

Business travelers are steaming their suits. Tourists are ordering new bathing suits online. Summer is coming and people are hopeful that as the sun waves hello, travel restrictions will wave goodbye.Many countries are talking about reopening and easing restrictions for the summer months. The

Canary Islands in Spain

are already saying hola to travelers from certain places.

Greece

is hoping to open for travel and tourism by mid-May. While it might not be time to vet Corfu beaches just yet, things are changing for the better thanks to the vaccine.But, that doesn’t mean that this summer everything will be as it was before. Countries are still, rightfully, fearful of another wave. Social distancing and face coverings are still mandatory in many places, and each country can determine its own entry requirements for travelers. Yes, some nations are opening up their borders. Some are even lifting quarantine requirements for travelers with proof of vaccination. Others are permitting travelers to enter with negative COVID-19 test results.

The challenge here is that there is still little standardization in these practices. With countries setting their own health and safety requirements, another piece has been added to the travel booking and management puzzle. Will travelers now need a vaccine passport? Will only vaccinated people be able to take international trips? Are digital passports going to be a staple of the "next normal"?Travel managers and travel agents helping tourists or business travelers book their next trip need to be up-to-date on these requirements at all times. Until a common practice, like health passports, has been established, requirements will keep changing. Having an understanding of how a traveler’s vaccination status could affect their trip will be fundamental in providing a top-range service.

Particularly in the European Union and the EEA, countries are going even more granular with their travel restrictions. Health officials in Cyprus, Iceland, Poland, and Slovenia, for example, announced that vaccinated passengers will be able to enter without self-isolation. In the United States, certain states like New Hampshire are implementing similar exemptions. We fully expect other nations and states to

quickly follow suit

.But wait. There is a catch. Not every country is accepting every brand of vaccine. Travelers may not be able to enter a country if they’ve been vaccinated by a brand that isn’t approved by their destination.Let’s take Slovenia as an example.The sunny-side of the Alps, as Slovenia is often called, does not require a quarantine period for vaccinated visitors. However, the fine print there is that they are only accepting those who took the following coronavirus vaccines:

Not only that—but to enjoy Slovenia’s Adriatic coast, visitors will need to have received their second dose a certain number of days prior to their arrival. And you guessed it—it’s not the same for every brand:

Travelers who do not comply with these requirements will need to go into self-isolation for 10 days upon arrival.And that’s just for one country. As summer gets closer, and more borders start to open up thanks to vaccine rollout, it will become increasingly difficult to navigate all of this information. That’s why it’s crucial for travel companies, travel managers, and travel agents to display updated and relevant information at the point of booking. Got someone traveling to New York for business? Or to Seychelles for a much-deserved beach break? This information will help keep them safe and save them money on bookings they can't change or refund.

Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not. It’s the new normal. As we enter this next chapter and start living in a post-COVID world, information will be more important than ever. Our API was developed with that in mind. Travelers, travel managers, and travel businesses will need access to reliable and complete data before, during, and after booking.Start offering it to them today.

An official vaccine card showing you received your second dose at least two weeks before arrival will grant you entry. A negative Covid-19 PCR test result taken within 96 hours of arrival or an antigen test within 48 hours of arrival would also work. You can also be tested upon arrival.

The vaccine exemption applies to visitors who can show that they have been vaccinated no more than 6 months prior to their arrival. Travelers can also enter if they can prove that they have recovered from COVID-19 at most 6 months before their arrival in Estonia.

Vaccinated travelers may enter without proof of a test. They must present documentation confirming that they have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

There are no travel restrictions in place for travelers with proof of having received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine no more than 2 weeks before their departure date.

There is no self-isolation period for vaccinated travelers.

Lithuania is accepting travelers with proof of full vaccination.

Accepting travelers with proof of full vaccination.

Fully vaccinated travelers are welcome in Poland, however they have to be coming from European Union countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Georgia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, Tunisia, or Australia. Quarantine requirements apply to travelers from all other countries.

Travelers must present proof of vaccination and proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before traveling.

Check it out above!

**Cambodia
**Requires a $2,000 deposit in addition to a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours of arrival. A mandatory 14-day quarantine is also in place, during which time you must also take two additional PCR tests.

**Chile
**Complete an

"affidavit of travelers" form

48 hours or less before boarding. Present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken within 72 hours of boarding, and present Covid-19 health insurance with $30,000 minimum coverage.

**Cuba
**You need to test prior to your departure. A PCR test will then be administered when you arrive. You will be transferred to a designated center for quarantine, and a second PCR test will be administered on day 5. Isolation is required until the second negative result is confirmed.

**Dominican Republic
**Random PCR testing will be administered upon arrival for international visitors.

**Grenadines
**There is a mandatory quarantine period in place, during which time follow-up tests will be conducted on days 4 & 7.

India
International travel to India is permitted for authorized reasons only, such as business, but international flights are mostly suspended. Travel for tourism is not permitted.

**Ireland
**Quarantine required. Ireland is only allowing essential travelers to enter.

Rwanda
Mandatory 7-day self-isolation period, at the end of which, a free test will be performed.

**Sri Lanka
**14-day quarantine required.

**Thailand
**14-day quarantine required.

**United Kingdom
**If another country has been visited in the previous 10 days that is on the 'banned list', travelers will not be allowed to enter the United Kingdom. All travelers are required to self-isolate for 10 days.