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What will change when Italy eases the rules on travel from UK?

The Local
The Local - [email protected]
What will change when Italy eases the rules on travel from UK?
Photo: Piero Cruciatti / AFP

Italy's health minister announced that vaccinated travellers from the UK will no longer have to quarantine on arrival from Tuesday. But what exactly are the rules for vaccinated and non vaccinated travellers?

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Italy initially re-imposed a 5-day quarantine for travellers arriving from Britain back in June, when the Delta variant was spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom. 

On Saturday, Health Minister Roberto Speranza announced that he had signed a new ordinance ending the 'mini-quarantine' for visitors from the UK, starting on the August 31st.

There was some confusion about when the rule change would come into place with the Italian embassy in the UK initially tweeting that the relaxed rule of vaccinated travellers would start on September 1st, before making the correction to August 31st.

Vaccinated travellers from the UK

Fully-vaccinated travellers arriving from the UK will therefore no longer have to undergo the 5-day quarantine upon arrival to Italy. However, they will still have to take a Covid-19 test and show proof of vaccination.

Italy recognises proof of vaccination issued by the UK's NHS and allows it to be used in place of the 'green pass' within to access museums, concerts and other venues within Italy.

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Travellers who have been in the UK in the previous 14 days must also present a negative molecular (PCR) or antigen test taken no more than 48 hours before travel.

Children under the age of 6 do not need to take a test.

READ ALSO: Your questions about Italy's quarantine rules for UK arrivals answered

Before travel, you must also complete an online digital form that will generate a QR code, which you may have to present to travel provider and Border Police if requested.

Some things were still unclear however such as whether vaccinated travellers who arrived before the change in rules would still have to spend five days in quarantine or whether it would end on August 31st.

It was also unclear what the policy would be towards those who had recovered from Covid and received one jab of their vaccine.

Note that the Italian travel rules are based on which country you travel from, and not which passport you hold.

Non-vaccinated travellers from the UK

For non-vaccinated travellers, the rules stay the same as before. Those coming to Italy from the UK will have to show a negative test and then quarantine for 5 days upon arrival. They must take another test at the end of the quarantine period.

Vaccinated travellers from the EU

Italy is allowing entry from all EU and Schengen zone countries using the Europe-wide 'green pass' scheme. 

What about travellers from outside the EU?

The health minister said that existing restrictions for visitors from other countries will remain in place.

READ ALSO: What to expect if you're flying from the US to Italy

Stay up to date with Italy’s travel rules by following The Local’s travel section and checking the Italian Health Ministry’s website (in English).

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Anonymous 2021/08/31 10:40
So, do we need a PCR test to travel from the UK to Italy, or just a rapid antigen test??
  • Anonymous 2021/08/31 11:29
    Hi Elinor As far as I understand it, Italy accepts a certified rapid antigen test for arrivals, but the advice I have seen is that some regions might require a PCR. I am specifically trying to find out about Sicily, but the regional website is a bit impenetrable and I can’t find an answer.
Anonymous 2021/08/30 23:35
At the moment, because there are no changes to report for US arrivals? In fact, only a few days ago there was was an article about how there were no changes to report!
Anonymous 2021/08/30 19:08
2 points to consider: Returning to the UK will still involve proof of having booked and paid for a 2 day PCR test. This is often far more expensive than the actual flights. The UK QR code cannot at present be read by Italian lettori
Anonymous 2021/08/30 17:08
We are travelling to Sicily from UK (over the moon that we no longer have to self-isolate) and have seen suggestions that some regions might require a PCR test rather than rapid antigen test, but can't find any information on this (I've looked on the Sicilian regional health website but can't see anything useful there). Any advice would be extremely welcome. Thanks Julia
  • Anonymous 2021/08/31 10:41
    I have just asked the same question!! It is so confusing......
Anonymous 2021/08/30 04:10
Why does the Local focus on the UK and we hardly hear anything about US and changes in our restrictions?
Anonymous 2021/08/29 15:17
If the health minister said that existing restrictions for visitors from other countries will remain in place, does that mean they are not changing anything for the US for September?
Anonymous 2021/08/29 14:21
Hi, I’m planning to visit Milan in October and I’m wondering how do I present a negative test when I go?

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