Following the adoption of Council Recommendation (EU) 2022/2548 of 13 December 2022, no restrictions should be imposed on travels into the EU from another country.
What if the epidemiological situation worsens?
In case of severe worsening of the epidemiological situation in EU or non-EU countries, Member States should decide in a coordinated manner to reintroduce appropriate requirements for travellers prior to their departure.
What happens if a new variant is detected?
An urgent, temporary restriction on all travel into the EU from a third country or region can be adopted by Member States
-
where a variant of concern or interest is detected
-
if the epidemiological situation in that country has rapidly deteriorated
This emergency brake applies to non-EU nationals who have stayed in that non-EU country or region at any time during the 14 days before departure towards the EU.
Such a restriction should expire after 21 days unless Member States decide to shorten it or extend it for an additional period. If the emergency brake is triggered, EU countries should discuss possible coordinated measures in the Council, in cooperation with the European Commission.
Restrictions on travel to the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic
As a first response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the EU, a coordinated temporary restriction of non-essential travel to the EU applied from 17 March 2020 until 30 June 2020. In June 2020, following a proposal from the Commission, the Council adopted a recommendation on temporary restrictions on non-essential travel into the EU and the possible lifting of such restrictions. This recommendation was updated several times and eventually replaced in December 2022 by Council Recommendation (EU) 2022/Council Recommendation (EU) 2022/2548.
During the period where travel restrictions to the EU were in place, some exemptions were put in place to ensure free movement of citizens, goods and services – with full respect of health and safety measures.
The following categories of people were exempt from the temporary travel restriction to the EU+ area from third countries
- EU citizens and nationals of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as their respective family members
- third-country nationals who are long-term residents under the Long-term Residence Directive, or deriving their right to reside from other EU Directives or national law, or who hold national long-term visas, as well as their respective family members
The temporary travel restrictions did also not apply to people with an essential function or need, including
- healthcare professionals, health researchers, and elderly care professionals
- frontier workers
- seasonal workers in agriculture
- transport personnel
- diplomats, staff of international organisations and people invited by international organisations whose physical presence is required for the well-functioning of these organisations, military personnel and humanitarian aid workers and civil protection personnel in the exercise of their functions
- passengers in transit
- passengers travelling for imperative family reasons
- seafarers
- persons in need of international protection or for other humanitarian reasons
- third-country nationals travelling for the purpose of study
- highly qualified third-country workers if their employment is necessary from an economic perspective and the work cannot be postponed or performed abroad.