EU TO ADD SAUDI ARABIA, 10 OTHER STATES TO SAFE TRAVEL LIST

Fri 02 July 2021:

EU Council adds 10 countries and one entity/territorial authority to the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted

EU governments agreed to add Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Jordan, Montenegro, Qatar, Moldova and Saudi Arabia to the bloc’s free travel list, said the European Council, the EU institution representing member states.

In addition, free entry was granted for travelers from Kosovo, which is officially categorized as “other entities and territories” since not all EU states recognize it as a state.

On 30 June 2020 the Council adopted a recommendation on the gradual lifting of the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU. This recommendation included an initial list of countries for which member states should start lifting the travel restrictions at the external borders. The list is reviewed every two weeks and, as the case may be, updated.

Based on the criteria and conditions set out in the recommendation, as from 1 July 2021 member states should gradually lift the travel restrictions at the external borders for residents of the following third countries:

Albania
Armenia (new)
Australia
Azerbaijan (new)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (new)
Brunei Darussalam (new)
Canada (new)
Israel
Japan
Jordan (new)
Lebanon
Montenegro (new)
New Zealand
Qatar (new)
Republic of Moldova (new)
Republic of North Macedonia
Rwanda
Saudi Arabia (new)
Serbia
Singapore
South Korea
Thailand
United States of America

China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity

Travel restrictions should also be gradually lifted for the special administrative regions of China Hong Kong and Macao.

Under the category of entities and territorial authorities that are not recognised as states by at least one member state, travel restrictions for Kosovo^[1] (new) and Taiwan should also be gradually lifted.

Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican should be considered as EU residents for the purpose of this recommendation.

Residents of these countries can visit the EU for non-essential purposes regardless of their vaccination status.

The travel list applies to the 27 EU member states plus countries taking part in the Schengen cooperation, namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

The free travel list is considered a recommendation for EU states and governments are allowed to make exceptions and allow visitors from other non-EU countries.

The bloc decided to restrict the entry of non-EU nationals to its territory last March in order to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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