SHARE
COPY LINK

HEALTH

How Italy has changed its travel rules for certain countries

Italy has revised the rules for several countries in its latest emergency decree, though the news is better for some than for others.

How Italy has changed its travel rules for certain countries
Italy has updated its international travel rules with extra restrictions over Christmas and New Year. Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

The new decree, effective December 4th to January 15th, updates Italy's travel restrictions for the first time since November.

It's marked by tougher rules as the government seeks to discourage residents from taking ski trips or other holidays abroad, wary of seeing another spike of the kind that followed the easing of restrictions over the summer.

READ ALSO: What are Italy's new rules for Christmas travel?

They notably include a requirement for all EU travellers to test negative before arriving in Italy, and mandatory quarantine for anyone travelling to Italy between December 21st and January 6th – regardless where they're departing from.

But the latest measures also reclassify specific countries, in some cases making it easier to enter Italy even as a visitor from outside Europe.

In others, however, the barriers to entry just got even higher.

Here's a guide to how the rules have changed.

The countries on which Italy has eased or lifted its restrictions

  • Romania: previously on Italy's mandatory quarantine list, the country has been reclassified in line with other EU countries including France and Spain. Starting immediately, people arriving in Italy from Romania can now avoid quarantine by showing a negative test result – until quarantine becomes mandatory for everyone from December 21st to January 6th.
     
  • Singapore: the city-state has been added to the list of 'safe' countries outside Europe where travel is allowed for any reason, including tourism. That means Singapore residents can visit Italy, but they will still have to quarantine for 14 days on arrival (even outside the Christmas period).
     
  • Armenia, Bahrein, Bangladesh, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Kosovo, Kuwait, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Peru: these countries were formerly classified as no-go areas, with travel to and from Italy all but banned. Now travel is permitted for essential reasons of work, study, health or family emergency, or for people who usually live in Italy and are returning home – so long as you quarantine for 14 days on arrival. 

The countries on which Italy has tightened its restrictions

  • Canada, Georgia, Tunisia: these countries have been removed from Italy's non-EU 'safe' list, meaning that residents now have to prove they have an urgent reason such as work, study or family emergency in order to travel to Italy. If they're eligible to travel, they'll have to quarantine for 14 days.
     
  • UK, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic: travellers from these countries already required a coronavirus test to enter Italy, but while it used to be possible to get tested on arrival at the airport or within two days of landing, you'll now have to show a negative test result before boarding your flight, or spend 14 days in quarantine (outside December 21st to January 6th, when everyone has to quarantine). This aside, people from these countries can continue to enter Italy for any reason. The same rules apply to Romania (see above).
     
  • Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco: Italy has effectively upped restrictions on travellers from most other EU and Schengen countries, who from December 10th onwards have to show a negative test result before entering Italy or self-quarantine (outside December 21st to January 6th, when everyone has to quarantine). This aside, people from the EU or Schengen Zone can continue to travel to Italy for any reason.

The countries on which restrictions remain unchanged

  • San Marino and Vatican City: there are no restrictions on travel to or from these two tiny  enclaves, which lie entirely within Italy's borders.
     
  • Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Rwanda, Thailand, Uruguay: these lucky few countries (plus Singapore) are the only ones outside Europe from which tourism to Italy is permitted, though travellers still have to quarantine for 14 days on arrival. 
     
  • Everywhere else: people in any other country can travel to Italy for essential reasons of work, study, health or family emergency, but not as a tourist. If you are eligible to travel, you'll have to quarantine for 14 days.

 

Italian citizens and residents still allowed to return

People who are officially resident in Italy, no matter what nationality they hold or what country they're departing from, are still allowed to travel to their Italian home. You'll have to observe whichever testing and/or quarantine rules apply to the country you depart from.

The same goes for Italian citizens, who are allowed to enter the country even if they don't usually live here. Quarantine and testing rules apply.

For more information about which rules apply to you, use the Foreign Ministry's interactive questionnaire, available here.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

TRAVEL NEWS

Why are flight prices higher in Italy than the rest of Europe this summer?

A recent analysis found that fares for flights between European countries have decreased on average this summer - but mysteriously, Italy is bucking the trend.

Why are flight prices higher in Italy than the rest of Europe this summer?

Italy may be at the start of a summer tourism boom, but that’s no thanks to the cost of its airline tickets, which are higher than ever this year.

According to a recent analysis in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, intra-Europe fares from June to September 2024 are down three percent on average compared to the same period last year – but Italy’s flight costs have risen.

The average price of a summer flight between Italy and the rest of Europe has increased by seven percent since 2023, data shows, while domestic flights cost as much as 21 percent more.

Corriere doesn’t offer much of an explanation for the hikes, though says industry sources say it could be down to demand being higher than anticipated.

READ ALSO: How Europe’s new EES border checks will impact flight passengers

It’s true that supply chain issues have reduced the available fleet of global aircraft at a time when the appetite for international travel is as high as ever – but this is an industry-wide problem that shouldn’t disproportionately affect Italy.

Carmelo Calì, the vice president of consumer rights watchdog Confconsumatori, suggested in a recent interview that the main culprit is a lack of healthy competition in the Italian market.

“Despite what is said to the contrary, in our country companies often find themselves operating at airports practically alone,” Calì told consumer publication Il Salvagente (The Lifejacket).

“Even when there is competition, prices remain high, because the race is upwards and not downwards.”

The high price of Italy’s domestic flights have been a point of contention for years, with consumer unions long complaining that fares for tickets between mainland Italy and the major islands are exorbitant.

Italy’s Price Surveillance Guarantor Benedetto Mineo, who officially goes by Mister Prezzi (‘Mr. Prices’), last summer called on the seven main airlines operating in Italy to account for a 40 percent annual increase in the cost of some key domestic routes.

READ ALSO: Why two Swiss to Italy flight routes are ‘the most turbulent’ in Europe

This was followed by the government announcing a price cap on flights connecting Sardinia and Sicily to the Italian mainland – that it promptly shelved just one month later, after budget carrier Ryanair led a furious pushback by low cost airlines.

“Here companies believe they have freedom that they don’t have elsewhere, convinced they can get away with it, while in the rest of Europe they fear being punished,” said Calì.

That may explain why the EU’s competition watchdog has been so slow to approve a proposed partial takeover of Italy’s national flag carrier ITA by Germany airline Lufthansa.

The Commission has repeatedly insisted that Lufthansa must give away a certain number of its slots at Milan’s Linate airport in compliance with EU competition rules in order for the deal to go ahead.

SHOW COMMENTS