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EXPLAINED: How has Italy changed its rules on travel from the US and Canada?

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
EXPLAINED: How has Italy changed its rules on travel from the US and Canada?
Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP

Fully vaccinated travelers who’ve been hoping to visit Italy this summer now have the green light after the country announced it would drop the quarantine rules from this week.

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Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza announced in a Facebook post that Italy would allow entry from the United States, Canada and Japan under the same terms as the EU’s ‘green pass’ scheme as of June 21st.

That means the ten-day quarantine rule will not apply to passengers who can provide proof of being fully vaccinated or having recovered from Covid-19, or can show a negative result from a test taken within the 48 hours before arrival in Italy.

READ ALSO: 'Health pass’: What documents do Americans need for travel to Italy?

Until now, Italy had only waived the quarantine rule for those who took special ‘Covid-free’ flights operated by four airlines.

The scheme allowed passengers flying from 10 designated airports to skip quarantine if they showed negative results in a series of tests - prior to departure, at boarding, and upon arrival. 

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How do I enter Italy under the ‘green pass’ rules?

The Europe-wide health certificate scheme allows quarantine-free travel between EU member states as of July 1st.

Italy has already started rolling out its own version of the digital document, and has chosen to also recognise equivalent documents from some non-EU countries with high rates of vaccination - and to begin allowing those travellers to enter Italy before the EU-wide rollout date.

This means you don’t need to download an Italian ‘green pass’ - you can instead use documents issued in your home country and these will be accepted by Italian authorities.

The Italian government's updated rules state that people can now enter Italy quarantine-free from the US, Canada or Japan by presenting one of the following health documents:

  1. Certificate of vaccination - such as a US CDC-issued vaccination card or EU green certificate. Keep in mind you must be fully vaccinated, meaning you have had your last vaccination 14 days before departure.
  2. OR
    A negative antigen, PCR, or molecular test result from a test taken within 48 hours of arrival in Italy.
  3. OR
    A certificate of Recovery from Covid dated no more than six months before arrival to Italy.

All passengers travelling to Italy still need to fill in a passenger locator form giving their contact details. Find it here.

Anyone who cannot show the requested documents may be required to undergo a ten-day quarantine period on arrival.

The Italian government reminds travellers that new restrictions “may be adopted at national and/or regional level depending on the risk assessment carried out on a regular basis by the Health Ministry.”

For further details of the requirements, see the Italian Foreign Ministry's website (in English), or contact your airline or the Italian embassy in your country.

For more information about the current coronavirus situation and health measures in Italy please see the Health Ministry’s website (in English).

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