Christmas vacation in Austria, Italy, Switzerland or Spain: the travel rules at a glance
Created: 12/20/2021Updated: 12/20/2021, 8:09 PM
From: Matthias Schneider
Between the years for skiing or would you prefer to go to the warm?
Here is an overview of the entry rules for Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and the USA.
Munich - With the rapidly expanding Omikron variant, many vacation countries are tightening their entry requirements.
There is a lot to consider for travelers.
Important here: All of the mentioned Corona * regulations were up to date yesterday, but can change at short notice.
For travel at a much later point in time, vacationers should consult the website of the Federal Foreign Office again.
Entry requirements in Austria
The Alpine Republic of Austria has had stricter entry rules since Sunday *.
At the same time, hotels and restaurants are allowed to reopen this week in order to stimulate ski tourism.
Après-ski bars and bars remain closed.
The Austrian Ministry of Tourism explained the entry requirements to our newspaper.
Adults
The 2G-plus rule applies to entry, i.e. vaccinated or recovered and a PCR test that is less than 72 hours old.
A booster vaccination releases the test from the moment the sting occurs.
Important for the return: Because Austria is a high-risk area, returnees have to go into quarantine, from which they can test themselves after five days at the earliest.
Vaccinated or convalescent people can, in fact, bypass the quarantine by uploading the relevant evidence via the portal www.einreiseanmeldung.de.
Proof of registration in the portal must be carried at the border crossing.
Teenagers
For young people between the ages of 12 and 15, the so-called Holiday Ninja Pass is an equivalent replacement for the 2G certificate. The corresponding document can be downloaded from the Internet (www.sichere-gastfreundschaft.at/holiday-ninja-pass). The prerequisite is that the young people have been tested at all times during their stay in Austria. Three tests are required in five days, of which at least two are PCR tests. Rapid antigen tests are valid for 48 hours, PCR tests last 72 hours. The point in time at which the sample is taken is decisive. If a PCR test cannot be presented due to an examination time of more than 24 hours, a quick test is sufficient in exceptional cases. However, this fact must be "made credible",as the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs writes.
children
Travelers under the age of 12 are exempt from the 2G and test obligation in Austria.
Important: However, this does not apply to the journey home.
Although children do not have to be registered upon entry, they do not have to be vaccinated and recovered but go into quarantine.
This ends automatically after five days.
commuter
For people working in Austria, only the 3G rules apply.
Corona rules in Italy
In Italy there are stricter rules * than in Austria, as the German Foreign Office writes.
Adults
By January 15, all EU citizens must present a PCR test that is no more than 48 hours old when entering the country.
Alternatively, a 24 hour old antigen test is also possible.
In addition, the digital entry form is mandatory (on the Internet at app.euplf.eu).
In exceptional cases, the document may be presented in paper form.
The trip is hardly worthwhile for the unvaccinated and unhealthy: Despite the test, they have to go into quarantine for five days after their arrival, inform the local health authority and then show another molecular or antigen test.
Important: The vaccination certificate must not be older than nine months and is valid 14 days after the second vaccination.
The document must be in English.
The proof of recovery must not be older than six months.
Teenagers
In Italy *, children and adolescents aged six and over must also present one of the tests mentioned.
If you are traveling with a vaccinated or recovered adult, you do not have to be in quarantine.
children
Vacationers under six years of age are exempt from the obligation to test.
Entry rules for Switzerland
The Confederates attach great importance to PCR tests, but refrain from quarantine measures, as the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health announced.
Adults
All immigrants must fill out the entry form (online at swissplf.admin.ch/formular) and show a negative PCR test (not older than 72 hours) or an antigen test (less than 24 hours).
Unvaccinated and unhealthy people must also take another test between the fourth and seventh day after entry and report this to the respective cantonal authorities.
If you spend less than seven days in Switzerland, you are not required to take the second test.
There is a quarantine obligation in Switzerland only for travelers from countries with a "worrying virus variant".
No countries are currently affected.
However, that can change.
Important
: Switzerland is a high-risk area; the same conditions apply to returning home as to Austria.
Children and adolescents
Children and under 16 years of age are exempt from the test requirement, but must also be registered using the entry form.
Entry rules for Spain
Entry to the Iberian Peninsula is relatively straightforward.
However, there are partially different provisions in the autonomous communities of Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia, as the German Foreign Office announced.
Adults
Every traveler must fill out the digital entry form (www.spth.gob.es).
The QR code generated must be shown on arrival.
Because Germany is a risk area in Spain, travelers must also have proof of full vaccination (at least 14 days ago) or recovery (not older than 180 days) with them.
Alternatively, nucleic acid amplification tests - including PCR tests - and antigen tests are also accepted.
The former must be less than 72 hours, the latter less than 48 hours.
Important for the Canary Islands: When entering from Spain, tests must be submitted again.
Children and adolescents
Under 12 years of age, there is no obligation to provide a 3G certificate.
Entry rules for the USA
With a few exceptions, entry into the USA is only possible for vaccinated people, as the Federal Foreign Office writes.
Every traveler (over two years of age) must present a valid vaccination card before departure, as well as a PCR or antigen test, which must not be older than one day.
Children under the age of 18 are exempt from the compulsory vaccination, as the American health authority Center of Disease Control writes on its website.
Fully vaccinated holidaymakers who have recovered within 90 days of the start of the journey must, in addition to the positive corona test, also present a medical certificate stating that they have fully recovered.