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Sweden gives green light to travel to 10 countries from July

Sweden on Wednesday issued new guidance on international travel, giving the green light to travel to ten countries.

Published: 17 June 2020 16:41 CEST

Sweden gives green light to travel to 10 countries from July

For some countries, advice against travel is being lifted; for others, it's being extended. File photo: Jessica Gow / TT

Sweden's Foreign Ministry is scrapping its guidance to avoid all non-essential travel to ten EU countries from June 30th.

This guidance has been in place since an early stage in the pandemic, due to global uncertainty and travel bans, and was set to apply until at least July 15th. The advice against travel is not a legally enforced ban, but it does mean that people who travel for tourism purposes would not be covered by travel insurance, for example.

The countries where travellers have the green light to visit from July are: Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain.

This is not based on an assessment of the coronavirus outbreak in those countries, but is based on the fact these countries have not introduced restrictions for Swedes who travel there.

Checklist: Where in Europe can you travel from Sweden this summer?

As for why Sweden's Nordic neighbours were not included in these new rules, Linde said it was due to Denmark, Norway and Finland having introduced restrictions on travellers from Sweden, including quarantines.

“I would have rather seen a Nordic solution. We tried to get that, but didn't succeed,” she said.

For countries within the EU/EEA other than those ten, the advice against non-essential travel continues to apply until at least July 15th.

At the same time, the ministry has extended advice against non-essential travel to countries outside the EU/EEA until August 31st.

“The lifting of the advice for some European countries does not mean that the situation is as usual again. The situation remains uncertain and changeable, even in Europe,” the ministry warned in a statement.

“There is a great responsibility on the individual. Every traveller should carefully consider their journey, prepare well, stay informed, and follow the local authorities' advice and instructions once there.”

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Cost for getting a short-stay Schengen visa to rise on June 11th

The hike means the basic fee for a Schengen visa will rise from €80 to €90 for adults and from €40 to €45 for children. The reason for the price hike has been blamed on inflation in member states.

Schengen visas can be obtained by non-EU citizens from countries that do not benefit from the EU / Schengen area’s 90-day rule such as such as nationals of South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and China.

Schengen visas are not required for citizens of countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia who are paying short visits to the EU, since they are entitled to 90 days of visa-free travel in every 180.

Anyone who wants to spend longer in an EU country will need to apply for a long-stay visa – but these are issued by individual countries, not the EU. The cost of these visas vary depending on the country and the type of visa (eg study visa, work visa).

In addition to raising the basic fee to €90, the EU has also proposed hiking the fee even higher for those countries who are deemed not be cooperative with receiving expelled citizens back from member states.

In this case the Schengen visa fee for citizens from that country will rise from €120/€160 to €135 /€180.

In addition, the revision of visa fees impacts the maximum amount that external service providers collecting visa applications on behalf of member states can charge, which is usually set at up to half the standard fee.

This charge would increase from €40 to €45.

The fee for a Schengen visa extension will remain at €30.

Revised every three years

Every three years the EU Commission is tasked to assess whether new fees are needed, considering “objective criteria”, such as the EU inflation rate and the average of civil servants’ salaries in EU member states.

The Commission published its proposal on February 2nd, following a meeting with experts from EU member states in December, when an “overwhelming majority” supported the revision.

The Commission says that even with the increase, the visa fees for the Schengen area are “still relatively low” compared to other countries. For instance, a visa for the USA costs €185, or €172; for the UK it starts from £115 (€134); for Canada it is $100 plus $85 for biometrics, or €130; for Australia $190, the equivalent of €117.

Digital-only visa

The EU is also planning to introduce a digital-only Schengen visa. This will allow to apply online, regardless of the Schengen country applicants intend to visit, and will replace the current sticker in passports with a digital visa.

According to the European Commission website, the digital platform will start operating in 2028.

Who needs a Schengen visa

The Schengen visa allows a stay for tourism or family visits (but not for work) in 28 European countries for up to 90 days in any 6-month period. People travelling for business trips, conferences or meetings apply for a Schengen business visa.

Anyone who wants to stay longer, or to work, needs a visa from the country they intend to visit.

The Schengen visa is required for citizens of countries who do not benefit from the ‘90-day rule’, such as nationals of South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and China.

It is not needed for other non-EU nationals such as Brits, Americans, Canadians or Australians who can spend up to 90 days in every 180 in the Schengen area without needing a visa. You can see the full list of countries who need a visa here.

Schengen countries include EU member states, excluding Ireland (which opted out), Cyprus, and Bulgaria and Romania for land borders. Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland are not EU members but have also joined the Schengen Convention.

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