Italy
Travel restrictions
English-language guidance on current entry and exit requirements is maintained on the following Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: https://www.esteri.it/mae/en/ministero/normativaonline/decreto-iorestoacasa-domande-frequenti/focus-cittadini-italiani-in-rientro-dall-estero-e-cittadini-stranieri-in-italia.html
All persons traveling to Italy from any foreign location are required to provide their airline or Italian law enforcement officials with a self-declaration form prior to travel.
All travelers arriving in Italy from abroad must self-isolate for a period ranging from 5 to 10 days depending on their country of origin unless they are traveling from an exempted country or for a purpose that falls under current exceptions.
Beginning on August 31st and valid until October 25th 2021, travelers from the United States may enter Italy if they present a negative molecular PCR or rapid antigen test result carried out within 72 hours of arrival AND one of the following:
- An Anti-COVID 19 vaccination certificate for an European Medicines Agency (EMA)-recognized vaccine. At present, EMA recognizes the following vaccines: Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, and AstraZeneca. The date of the final vaccine dose must be at least 14 days prior to travel. Travelers vaccinated in the United States can prove this via the “white card” bearing the CDC logo.
- A medical certificate confirming recovery from COVID dated no more than six months before departure.
Passengers unable to present a valid vaccination or recovery certificate will have to self-isolate on arrival for five days and undergo a molecular PCR or rapid antigen test at the end of the isolation.
Measures taken by government
On April 23rd, 2021, the Italian government issued a new decree containing anti-Covid measures in effect from April 26th, 2021. Italy will be divided in red, orange, yellow, and white zones depending on transmission rates, availability of hospital and ICU beds, and other parameters. Different restrictive measures apply to each zone.
Under the April 23rd, 2021 decree, movement between yellow and white regions is permitted without the need of a self-certification form.
In orange and red zones, movement outside the city of residence or to other regions except for work, study, health of necessity reasons (self-certification form required).
As of June 21st 2021, the curfew has been lifted.
On July 22nd 2021, the Italian government approved a decree extending the Covid-19 state of emergency until December 31st 2021.
From August 6th 2021, you will need a Covid-19 digital certificate (Green Pass), or equivalent certificate recognized by the Italian authorities, to enter:
- the indoor areas of restaurants;
- theatres, cinemas, events and sports competitions;
- museums and other cultural venues;
- swimming pools, gyms, spas and wellness centres, theme and amusement parks, recreational and leisure centres, gaming halls and casinos;
- trade fairs, conferences and meetings.
From September 1st 2021, you will need a Green Pass, or an equivalent certificate, to board:
- airplanes;
- interregional ships and ferries (except for the Straits of Messina ferry services);
- Intercity and High Speed trains;
- long-distance buses;
- charter buses.
A Green Pass, shall be issued to all persons who have received at least one dose of vaccine or who have received a negative (molecular or antigen) swab test within the previous 48 hours or who have recovered from COVID-19 in the previous six months. Please note that a certificate certifying the first inoculation of a two-doses vaccine (second dose pending) is not enough to enter Italy from abroad.
The Italian Ministry of Health issued an ordinance on July 29th 2021 stating that an Anti-COVID-19 vaccination certificate for an European Medicines Agency (EMA) recognized vaccine from competent U.S. health authorities (CDC “white cards”) will be considered the equivalent of the Italian Green Pass where this requirement exists. Alternatively, you can provide a negative molecular PCR or rapid antigen test result taken within 48 hours before entering a restaurant/museum etc.
Effective from September 23rd 2021, the Ministry of Health of Italy has recognised the equivalence of several vaccines administered by foreign health authorities to those carried out under the National Vaccine Plan for the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2. Namely:
- vaccines recognised by EMA – European Medicines Agency (see Annex 1 to the Circular);
- Covishield (Serum Institute of India), manufactured under license from AstraZeneca;
- R-CoVI (R-Pharm), manufactured under licence from AstraZeneca;
- Covid-19 vaccine-recombinant (Fiocruz), manufactured under licence from AstraZeneca.
As a result of this recognition:
- the above-mentioned vaccines are considered valid for the purposes of issuing the COVID-19 green certificate to Italian citizens (including those residing abroad) and their cohabiting family members, as well as to foreign citizens living in Italy for work or study and to all individuals registered in any capacity with the Italian National Health Service who have been vaccinated abroad;
- COVID-19 green certificates issued by foreign health authorities following vaccination with the above vaccines (in addition to the vaccines authorized by EMA), are considered as equivalent for all legal purposes, provided that they contain the information referred to in the said Circular (identification data of the holder, vaccine data, date(s) of administration of the vaccine, identification data of the issuer of the certificate) and are written in Italian, English, French, Spanish or German (if they are issued in another language, they must be accompanied by a sworn translation).
Testing
At present in Italy, antigen tests cost approximately $25, while PCR tests cost approximately $75.
Please note that response times vary by testing location, the type of test taken, and the method of retrieving test results (i.e., in-person or via correspondence).
Emergency number (related to COVID-19) while visiting the country
Call Italy’s 112 emergency number or 1500 if you believe you have symptoms and are currently in Italy. English speaking operators are available.
Source:
US Embassy in Italy https://it.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
Published on October 20th 2021 (checked on October 20th 2021)
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - FAQ https://www.esteri.it/mae/en/ministero/normativaonline/decreto-iorestoacasa-domande-frequenti/focus-cittadini-italiani-in-rientro-dall-estero-e-cittadini-stranieri-in-italia.html
Published on October 11th 2021 (checked on October 20th 2021)
For more information please visit our COVID-19 Updates page at https://www.hiddentrails.com/article/covid19update.aspx