This document provides a simple breakdown of the vaccine requirements for popular holiday destinations. For a summary, please find a table at the end of the document which explains the rules for fully vaccinated adults, children, testing requirements, and the unvaccinated.
The rules for any country not listed here can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Fully vaccinated = Had your second dose within the last 270 days or have had your booster. At least 14 days must have passed
| Rules for adults | Rules for Children | Testing | Rules for unvaccinated | |
| Austria | Proof of full vaccination OR recovery in the last 180 days. Also require a negative PCR UNLESS you received a booster vaccination 120 days or more after your second shot | Children 12 and under do not require a vaccine/test if they are accompanied by an eligible adult. | A PCR, unless you have received a booster | Must prove recovery from COVID-19 in the last 180 days. |
| Cyprus | Passengers travelling to the Republic of Cyprus require a negative PCR test result taken within 72hrs before departure OR a rapid antigen test taken within 24hrs before departure. | Children aged 11 and under are exempted from the testing requirement | Everyone requires a PCR within 72 hours of travelling, OR an LFT within 24 hours of departure | You can enter Cyprus if you are not fully vaccinated but must follow the requirements for coronavirus testing |
| Egypt | If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter Egypt without needing to test. | Children under 12 follow the same rules as the fully vaccinated | Only if unvaccinated | A PCR within 72 hours of travelling, OR an LFT within 24 hours of departure |
| France | Proof of being fully vaccinated and a sworn statement that you do not have COVID-19 symptoms are both required. | Children under 12 are exempt from all COVID-19 travel restrictions. | Only if unvaccinated | Must provide a travel certificate to prove the reason for essential travel, a PCR within 72 hours of travelling, OR an LFT within 24 hours of departure, and a sworn statement that you do not have COVID-19 symptoms |
| Greece | A valid vaccination certificate to prove that you are fully vaccinated OR a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 is required. | Children aged 5 and over who have not had the COVID-19 vaccine are considered unvaccinated. | Only if unvaccinated | Providing a certificate of recovery from COVID-19, OR a PCR within 72 hours of travelling OR an LFT from an authorised lab within 24 hours of travelling to Greece |
| Italy | If you travel from the UK and can demonstrate that you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter Italy without the need to self-isolate. You need to show evidence of a PCR taken within 48 hours of entering Italy, OR a negative LFT within 24 hours of entry. | Children aged 6 to 17 must show evidence of a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours before entering Italy OR a negative rapid lateral flow test taken within the 24 hours. Children aged 17 and under are exempt from self-isolation | All travellers are required to provide a PCR within 72 hours of travelling, OR an LFT within 24 hours of departure | The rules for unvaccinated travellers can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements#entry-rules-in-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19 |
| Portugal | If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter mainland Portugal without needing to test. | Children aged 11 and under follow the same rules as the fully vaccinated | Only if unvaccinated | A PCR within 72 hours of travelling, OR an LFT within 24 hours of departure |
| Spain | If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter Spain without needing to test. | Travellers from the UK aged 12 to 17 inclusive can enter Spain by proving that they have undertaken a COVID-19 nucleic acid amplification test – NAAT (PCR or similar) within 72 hours prior to arrival in Spain. Children 11 and under follow the same rules as vaccinated adults. | No requirement, unless an unvaccinated 12-17 year old | You may only enter Spain for Tourism purposes if you meet the vaccination requirements |
| Switzerland | If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter Switzerland without needing to test. | Children 18 and under do not require a vaccine/test if they are accompanied by an eligible adult. | No requirement for British citizens that are eligible for entry. | Unless you are Swiss, or a Liechtenstein/EU/EFTA national, you are not eligible for entry. |
| Turkey | If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter Turkey without needing to test. | Children aged 11 and under follow the same rules as the fully vaccinated | Only if unvaccinated | A PCR within 72 hours of travelling, OR an LFT within 24 hours of departure, OR provide proof of a recovery from COVID-19 in the last six months |
| USA | If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter the USA | Children 17 and under are exempt from the vaccination requirement | Before boarding a flight to the United States, you are required to show a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than one day before travel | Only US citizens are eligible to enter unvaccinated. |
Cruises – check with your cruise provider if they require proof of vaccination prior to boarding.
Current Travel Restrictions- Popular UK holiday destinations
This document provides a simple breakdown of the vaccine requirements for popular holiday destinations. For a summary, please find a table at the end of the document which explains the rules for fully vaccinated adults, children, testing requirements, and the unvaccinated.
The rules for any country not listed here can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Austria
You must show either proof of full vaccination or recent (within the past 180 days) recovery from COVID-19 to enter Austria. You should also present a negative PCR test not more than 72 hours old when you arrive. If you received a booster vaccination 120 days or more after your second shot, you do not need to provide a PCR test. Proof of recovery in the past 180 days, alongside two vaccinations, counts as a booster.
For two-shot vaccines (e.g. AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna), you must show that you received the second injection no more than 270 days before arrival. For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you must show that you received a booster no more than 270 days before arrival. If you received a booster more than 120 days after being fully immunised, this must not have been more than 270 days before arrival. Different vaccine validity rules apply once in Austria: two-dose vaccinations are only valid for 180 days (210 days for under 18 year olds). A booster is still valid for 270 days.
Cyprus
The UK is in Cyprus’ Red category. All travellers are required to complete a Cyprus Flight Pass before travel. Passengers travelling to the Republic of Cyprus require a negative PCR test result taken within 72hrs before departure or a rapid antigen test taken within 24hrs before departure.
Egypt
If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter Egypt without needing to test or quarantine.
At least 14 days must have passed since the full course of a vaccine. Vaccines must be approved by the Egyptian Drug Authority or World Health Organization. These currently include either Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik V, or Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) vaccines.
France
Fully vaccinated travellers aged 12 and over must continue to provide:
- Proof of vaccination. Further details on what counts as being fully vaccinated can be found below
- A sworn statement (déclaration sur l’honneur) self-certifying you’re not suffering from COVID-19 symptoms and haven’t been in contact with confirmed cases in the 14 days prior to travel.
The French government recognises any vaccination certificates which conform to the EU Digital Covid Status Certification framework, illustrating that you are fully vaccinated with a vaccine authorised by the European Medical Authority. This means your final vaccine dose must have been administered at least 7 days prior to travel for Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or 28 days after a single dose of Johnson & Johnson.
Greece
The following requirements for entry to Greece apply regardless of your vaccination status, and apply to all travellers who are 5 years old and over.
Travelers from the United Kingdom, Member States of the European Union (EU) and the Schengen Agreement, as well as from the other non-EU countries that have joined the European Union Digital Covid Certificate can enter the country by:
a) showing a valid vaccination certificate. There must have been at least 14 days, and not more than nine months, since the completion of your primary vaccination for COVID-19. Booster jabs are not subject to the same time restrictions. See ‘Demonstrating your COVID-19 status’ for further details
Or;
b) showing a certificate of recovery from COVID-19. See ‘Demonstrating your COVID-19 status’ for further details
Travellers from all other countries can enter Greece by:
c) showing proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test, undertaken within the 72 hour period before arrival into Greece. Or;
d) showing proof of a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test from an authorised laboratory, undertaken within the 24 hour period before your arrival into Greece.
The test provider must be certified by the competent national certification authority of the country in which you received the test, and must provide you with a certificate of your test result, in Greek, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish or Russian. The certificate must include the name of the person, as stated on the passport.
Italy
If you travel from the UK and can demonstrate that you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter Italy without the need to self-isolate. You must also:
- fill in the passenger locator form (EU PLF). You can ask for a paper form if you do not have an electronic device
- show evidence of a negative PCR taken within 48 hours before entering Italy or a negative rapid lateral flow test taken within the 24 hours before entering Italy
Portugal
If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter mainland Portugal without needing to test.
To qualify under the fully vaccinated rules, you must prove you have had either:
- a full course of a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (with both doses of a two dose vaccine, or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) at least 14 days and no more than 270 days before you arrive, or
- a full course of a vaccine, as described above, plus a booster vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency at least 14 days before you arrive
You will be considered fully vaccinated if:
- you have had both doses of a 2-dose vaccine, or a combination of two different vaccines. You must have had both doses before you travel
- you have had an approved one-dose vaccine, you will be considered fully vaccinated
- you caught COVID-19 after just one dose of a 2-dose vaccine, you will be considered fully vaccinated provided your vaccination certificate shows that you have completed your vaccination course after the administration of just one dose of the vaccine
Spain
If you’re fully vaccinated and travelling from the UK, you can enter Spain without needing to test or quarantine regardless of your reason for travel. Your vaccination status must meet the Spanish authorities’ validity period requirements.
At least 14 days must have passed since being fully vaccinated (with both doses of a 2-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) before arrival in Spain. Your date(s) of vaccination must be specified and your final dose must have been administered within 270 days prior to travel to Spain. If you completed your vaccination (with both doses of a 2-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) more than 270 days prior to travel to Spain, you must be able to show proof of having received a booster jab. There is no requirement for 14 days to have passed between receiving your booster jab and entering Spain. Booster jabs can be administered at any time prior to travel to Spain.
Only vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency or by the World Health Organisation are accepted. Children under the age of 12 years old do not need to show proof of being fully vaccinated on entry to Spain
Switzerland
If you’re fully vaccinated you can enter Switzerland without needing to test or quarantine.
At least 14 days must have passed since your second dose of the vaccine and the vaccine must have been approved by the authorities in Switzerland (Swissmedic) and the EU (EMA) or are on the WHO emergency use list and they were administered in accordance with the regulations or recommendations of the state in which the vaccination took place.
United States of America
Most fully vaccinated foreign citizens can enter the USA. The US authorities will accept any COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use by the World Health Organisation or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These are the AstraZeneca, BIBP/Sinopharm, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac vaccines. In addition, those who have received the full series of an active (not placebo) COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine trials are considered vaccinated.
Upon arrival, fully vaccinated travellers:
- do not have to quarantine
- are recommended to take a viral test within 3 to 5 days of arrival in the US.
If you have recovered from a documented COVID-19 infection within the past 90 days (regardless of vaccination status), you do not need to get a test 3 to 5 days after travel.