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TRAVEL: Italy to ease Covid rules for non-EU arrivals on March 1st

Italy will no longer require travellers to show both proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid and a negative test result, the health minister said on Tuesday.

Published: 22 February 2022 17:50 CET
A passenger shows an EU health pass on a mobile phone
Italy's travel rules will b simplified for non-EU arrivals from next month. Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP

“Starting from March 1st, for arrivals from all non-European countries, the same rules already established for European countries will be in force,” wrote Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza on his Facebook page.

He said either a vaccination certificate, recovery certificate or negative test result would be sufficient for entry to Italy from that date.

The change means arrivals from non-EU countries from February will no longer need to show both proof of vaccination or recent recovery plus a negative test result, as is currently the case.

It also appears to mean the removal of the requirement for unvaccinated passengers to quarantine for five days on arrival, and the lifting of restrictions on non-essential travel from ‘list E’ countries.

Speranza signed an ordinance on Tuesday night bringing the changes into law, according to Italian media reports, however the official text was not immediately available.

READ ALSO: How Italy has updated its Covid health pass rules for visitors

Speranza’s announcement came shortly after a recommendation on Tuesday from the EU council, made up of member states, that all countries “should lift the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU for people vaccinated with an EU or WHO approved vaccine, provided they have received the last dose of the primary vaccination cycle at least 14 days ago and no more than 270 days prior to arrival, or have received a booster dose.”

Separately to the requirements for travel, Italy has recently expanded the use of its domestic ‘green pass’ proving vaccination, testing or recovery.

Italy operates a two-tiered health certificate system, meaning proof of vaccination or recovery (not a negative test result) is currently needed for access to everything from hotels and restaurants to public transport under rules set to stay in force until at least March 31st.

READ ALSO: Where you now need to show a Covid green pass in Italy

Travellers from any other European member state can show their country’s version of the green pass, or health pass – which is recognised on par with Italy’s – to gain access to all venues where it is required.

Italy also recently announced special exceptions for some non-EU tourists meaning they may not have to show the same proof of vaccination as residents.

The Italian health ministry is set to review its other travel restrictions for arrivals by March 15th.

This article will be updated when more details become available.

For further details about Italy’s current Covid-19 rules for travellers please see the Italian health ministry website (available in English).

Find all the latest Italian travel news updates from The Local here.

Member comments

  1. It is still not clear if travellers from UK will still need a negative antigen test within 24 hours of arrival. Can you please clarify. Thank you.

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BREXIT

Are Italy’s British residents still getting their passports stamped?

UK residents of Italy protected under the Withdrawal Agreement reported having their passports wrongly stamped at border checks following Brexit. Has that issue now been cleared up, or are some Brits still experiencing issues?

Published: 22 May 2024 15:53 CEST
Updated: 23 May 2024 09:08 CEST
Are Italy's British residents still getting their passports stamped?

In the months after the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement was finalised, many UK citizens in Italy with permanent Italian residency reported having their passports wrongly stamped on leaving and entering Italy.

Italy is one of a handful of “declaratory” countries in the EU where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory, though UK authorities advised obtaining the card as “evidence of your rights”.

The lack of clarity caused widespread confusion, with many Italian officials wrongly insisting that the carta di soggiorno elettronica was the only valid proof of pre-Brexit Italian residency.

The issue has been largely resolved for British citizens who finally gave in and applied for the document, with most cardholders saying they no longer have issues with their passports being stamped at the country’s major airports.

However, some UK nationals say they’re still wrongly having their passports stamped at smaller airports in Italy, especially when travelling alongside large groups of Brits who aren’t resident in Italy.

And others report routinely having their passport stamped when entering the Schengen zone via a different EU member state to that of Italy – for example, when travelling by car from the UK via France.

READ ALSO: What’s the deal with passport stamping in Italy?

UK national David Prince commented in response to a recent article on passport stamping that a border official had stamped his passport on arriving in Calais, despite his presenting an Italian residency permit.

“When I asked why he simply said “Article 50,” Prince said, “which I knew was rubbish but I couldn’t be bothered to argue.”

According to European Commission rules in place since 2022, Schengen border agents have been told that they shouldn’t stamp the passports of anyone with a valid EU residence permit – but there’s no EU law stopping them from doing so.

Even if your passport is stamped, it doesn’t carry any official weight.

“The Commission recommends – notably as regards beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement – that Member State border guards refrain from stamping,” the rules say.

“In any case, should stamping nevertheless take place, such stamp cannot affect the length of the authorised long-term stay.”

READ ALSO: Can I use my Italian carta d’identità for travel?

If you arrive at any Schengen border, it’s advisable to hand over your passport already opened to the photo page, with your residency card on top, and say that you’re resident in Italy.

If you’re at an Italian border checkpoint, you might want to say ‘sono residente in Italia’ – I’m an Italian resident – and be prepared to answer questions about your reasons for being in Italy.

One additional source of confusion for some residents has been the difference between a carta d’identità and a carta di soggiorno.

The carta di soggiorno elettronica is the post-Brexit residency card which proves your status as a legal resident in Italy, wheres a carta d’identità is simply your Italian ID card.

The ID card is valid for ten years, but that doesn’t automatically give you the right to stay in Italy for all that time. Some non-EU citizens on certain visas might have a ten-year ID card, but a one-year Italian residency permit.

For that reason, your Italian ID card isn’t considered proof of your right to be in the country; as a British citizen resident in Italy and covered under the Withdrawal Agreement, you’ll need to show your carta di soggiorno elettronica to a border agent to stand the best chance of avoiding having your passport stamped.

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