Can I travel to Italy? Here’s the rules and regulations you need to know to visit Italy
Oh, la Bella Italia, home to some of the world’s best food, buildings, landscapes, inventions, to the most amount of UNESCO sites and a lot more! Visiting Italy is a dream for many travellers and a gift to your soul and mind. Whether you love food, art, history, nature or overly passionate people, Italy has it all! However, as we all know, COVID really changed the way we travel, move around and can access specific countries. So, it’s fair to ask questions like “Is Italy open to tourists?” or “Can I travel to Italy?”.
With rules constantly changing, borders opening and closing, compulsory or voluntary quarantine, staying up to date with them can be very tiring. That’s why I decided to write this post outlining the current rules and restrictions regarding entering into Italy and to which countries Italy is currently open.
Disclaimer: COVID-related rules and regulations can change very quickly so I’ll leave some links to official resources and I suggest you double-check with them.
If you can visit Italy and want some suggestions on where to go or what to do in Italy, I have aseveral guides on my website:
So, get ready and let’s start breaking down Italy’s COVID rules and regulations and check if you can enter Italy or not.
How’s the COVID situation in Italy?
We all know that Italy has been hit pretty hard with COVID on quite a few occasions. At the beginning of the pandemic and then in the winter following it, cases were getting higher and higher daily. The country has been through a lot and long lockdowns and only recently all the regions became “white (safe) zones”.
Nowadays, Italy is averaging around 500 to 1,100 COVID cases per day which is a number significantly lower than even a few months ago. Moreover, the vaccine rollout is going very fast with over 35% of the population is fully vaccinated.
So, COVID still exists in Italy but life is moving towards a sort of new normality.
What are the current COVID restrictions in Italy?
Because the whole country is now considered a “white zone”, restrictions are less but still present. Here are the current COVID restrictions in Italy:
- You can move around the country without any limitations as long as you are coming from another white or yellow zone or are fully vaccinated.
Masks are not mandatory outside but you must wear them:
- Anywhere inside besides your home.
- On public transport.
- When social distancing cannot be observed.
- In outside areas of medical centres.
- When you are with people that you know have a weak immune system.
Masks are not mandatory:
- When playing sport.
- While eating or drinking.
- While you are alone or with people who live with you.
Can I travel to Italy? What countries are allowed into Italy?
When it comes to visiting Italy, restrictions differ based on the country you are coming from. Let’s break everything down.
Countries are divided into groups called A, B, C, D, E. Depending on where you are coming from or where you have transited, restrictions and rules can change. Something that you must do no matter where you are coming from (except for countries listed in group A) is filling out the Digital Passenger Locator Form for contact tracing. You can fill it out online at this link.
Countries in group A
Vatican City and San Marino: No limitations are in place for people coming from these countries.
Countries in group B: No countries are currently in this group
Countries in group C:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark (including Greenland), Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Lettonia, Lituania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco.
According to the current regulations, people can move to and from these countries without any restrictions. However, if you have been or went through one of these countries and want to enter Italy you must:
- Fill out the Digital Passenger Locator Form.
Present the “green pass” that shows one of the following conditions:
- That you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. or
- That you have fully recovered from the virus. or
- A negative result from a COVID test result in the 48 hours before entering the country.
If you can’t present the green pass, you might still enter the country but need to undergo a 10-day quarantine at your house and inform the local health authority. At the end of it, you will need to take a COVID test.
Entering Italy from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland
Until the 30th of July, if you entering Italy from either the United Kingdom or Northern Ireland, you will need to:
- Show a negative result from a COVID test made in the 48 hours before entering the country.
- Despite the test result, you will need to quarantine for 5 days at your house and inform the local health authority.
- Take another test at the end of the 5 days.
Countries in group D:
Rwanda, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
If you are coming from one of these countries before the 30th of July you have to:
- Fill out the Digital Passenger Locator Form.
- Show a negative result from a COVID test made in the 72 hours before entering the country.
- Inform the local health authority.
- You will need to quarantine at home for 10 days.
- Take another test at the end of the 10 days.
You can use a private vehicle or take a plane to get to your final destination in Italy. If you take a plane to do so, you can’t leave the airport grounds.
Still, until the 30th of July, if you enter Italy from Canada, the USA and Japan and can provide the green pass, you don’t have to go through tests and quarantine.
Countries in group E:
The rest of the countries not mentioned one the previous groups except for Brazil, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Entry for people who have transited or stayed in one of these counties in the previous 14 days is allowed for:
- Italian/EU/Schengen citizens and their immediate family members.
- People who hold a permanent visa and their family members.
- People who have a proven and long relationship with Italian/EU/Schengen citizens or with people who hold a permanent visa.
If you are not part of these exceptions, you can still enter Italy from a country in group E only for essential reasons like work, study, health or exceptional reasons.
When coming from one of these countries you have to:
- Fill out the Digital Passenger Locator Form.
- Show a negative result from a COVID test made in the 72 hours before entering the country.
- Inform the local health authority.
- You will need to quarantine at home for 10 days.
- Take another test at the end of the 10 days.
Entering Italy from Brazil, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
People who have been or transited in one of these countries in the 14 days before entering Italy are not allowed into Italy until the 30th of July. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule:
If you have been or transited in Brazil in the 14 days before entering Italy, you are allowed into the country if:
- You registered your residency in the country before the 13th of February 2021. or
- Have been granted entry from the Minister of Health. or
- You need to get back to your spouse, children or partner.
Only if you satisfy either of these exceptions, you can enter Italy but you have to:
- Fill out the Digital Passenger Locator Form.
- Show to the flight crew a negative result from a COVID test made in the 72 hours before entering the country.
- Take a COVID test within 48 hours of entering the country
- Inform the local health authority.
- You will need to quarantine at home for 10 days.
- Take another test at the end of the 10 days.
If you have been or transited in India, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh in the 14 days before entering Italy, you are allowed into the country if:
- You are an Italian citizen and have registered your residency in the country before the 29th of April 2021. or
- You are an Italian citizen and are enrolled in the AIRE (Registry of Italian Citizens Living Abroad) . or
- Have been granted entry from the Minister of Health.
Only if you satisfy either of these exceptions, you can enter Italy but you have to:
- Fill out the Digital Passenger Locator Form.
- Show to the flight crew a negative result from a COVID test made in the 72 hours before entering the country.
- Take a COVID test within 48 hours of entering the country
- Inform the local health authority.
- You will need to quarantine at a COVID Hotel for 10 days.
- Take another test at the end of the 10 days.
How to check if you can travel to Italy
If you want to stay up to date with the most recent rules and regulations and check if you can enter the country, head over to this website. On here, you can find out all the info you need after answering a few questions.
When it comes to the green pass and what it is, the European Union website has all the info you need.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, answering the questions “Is Italy open?” or “Can I travel to Italy?” is not hard but also not very straightforward. However, the situation is slowly improving and I hope it will continue to do so for the rest of the world. I hope this guide helps you find the answer you were looking for!
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