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EXPLAINED: How has Italy changed its rules on travel from the US and Canada?

Fully vaccinated travelers who’ve been hoping to visit Italy this summer now have the green light after the country announced it would drop the quarantine rules from this week.

EXPLAINED: How has Italy changed its rules on travel from the US and Canada?
Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP

Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza announced in a Facebook post that Italy would allow entry from the United States, Canada and Japan under the same terms as the EU’s ‘green pass’ scheme as of June 21st.

That means the ten-day quarantine rule will not apply to passengers who can provide proof of being fully vaccinated or having recovered from Covid-19, or can show a negative result from a test taken within the 48 hours before arrival in Italy.

READ ALSO: ‘Health pass’: What documents do Americans need for travel to Italy?

Until now, Italy had only waived the quarantine rule for those who took special ‘Covid-free’ flights operated by four airlines.

The scheme allowed passengers flying from 10 designated airports to skip quarantine if they showed negative results in a series of tests – prior to departure, at boarding, and upon arrival. 

How do I enter Italy under the ‘green pass’ rules?

The Europe-wide health certificate scheme allows quarantine-free travel between EU member states as of July 1st.

Italy has already started rolling out its own version of the digital document, and has chosen to also recognise equivalent documents from some non-EU countries with high rates of vaccination – and to begin allowing those travellers to enter Italy before the EU-wide rollout date.

This means you don’t need to download an Italian ‘green pass’ – you can instead use documents issued in your home country and these will be accepted by Italian authorities.

The Italian government’s updated rules state that people can now enter Italy quarantine-free from the US, Canada or Japan by presenting one of the following health documents:

  1. Certificate of vaccination – such as a US CDC-issued vaccination card or EU green certificate. Keep in mind you must be fully vaccinated, meaning you have had your last vaccination 14 days before departure.
  2. OR
    A negative antigen, PCR, or molecular test result from a test taken within 48 hours of arrival in Italy.
  3. OR
    A certificate of Recovery from Covid dated no more than six months before arrival to Italy.

All passengers travelling to Italy still need to fill in a passenger locator form giving their contact details. Find it here.

Anyone who cannot show the requested documents may be required to undergo a ten-day quarantine period on arrival.

The Italian government reminds travellers that new restrictions “may be adopted at national and/or regional level depending on the risk assessment carried out on a regular basis by the Health Ministry.”

For further details of the requirements, see the Italian Foreign Ministry’s website (in English), or contact your airline or the Italian embassy in your country.

For more information about the current coronavirus situation and health measures in Italy please see the Health Ministry’s website (in English).

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STRIKES

What to expect from Italy’s national rail strike this weekend

Rail passengers in Italy may face disruption on Saturday, May 4th and Sunday, May 5th as staff at state-owned railway company Ferrovie dello Stato plan a 24-hour strike.

What to expect from Italy's national rail strike this weekend

Passengers travelling across Italy by train may face delays or cancellations this weekend as staff at state-owned railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato, which includes Trenitalia, Trenord, and Trenitalia Tper, plan to strike from 9pm on Saturday, May 4th to 9pm on Sunday, May 5th.

The walkout was called by CAT (Coordinamento Autorganizzato Trasporti) – one of Italy’s major trade unions – in late March to demand the renewal of collective labour agreements in the rail transport sector.

The planned protest is expected to affect all types of rail travel, from long-distance services to regional and local ones, with the overall level of disruption expected to vary by city and operator.

While rail companies are legally required to guarantee the operation of a number of minimum services (servizi minimi) during strikes taking place on weekdays, there’s no such requirement for weekend walkouts.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

This means that operators are free to decide whether or not to guarantee services for passengers.

Trenitalia 

National rail operator Trenitalia said in a statement that their services “may experience changes or cancellations” for the entire length of the strike, but the protest may also “result in service variations both before its start and after its end”. 

Though the statement provided no information regarding possible guaranteed services, Trenitalia generally operates a number of essential long-distance journeys during weekend walkouts. These are available here.

Trenitalia has advised passengers planning to travel with them during the weekend to check the status of their services via their website or mobile app, or by calling toll-free number 800 89 20 21.

Trenitalia Tper

Trenitalia Tper, which operates train services in the Emilia-Romagna region, has said that their services “may experience changes or cancellations” due to the walkout. 

In the event of cancellations, passengers will be able to “ask for a refund according to the operator’s terms and conditions”.

Trenitalia Tper hasn’t yet provided any details regarding possible guaranteed services.

See their website for the latest updates.

Trenord

Trenord, which operates a number of regional trains in the Lombardy region, including connections to and from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, has said that scheduled services “may be subject to cancellations”.

However, the operator has also said that none of its staff are represented by trade union CAT and previous walkouts backed by the union didn’t affect scheduled services.

Trenord will not operate minimum services during the strike. However, should airport link services be cancelled, replacement buses will run the same routes. 

See Trenord’s website or app for the latest updates.

Italo

Private long-distance operator Italo will not be affected by the strike.

What to do if your train is cancelled

If a pre-booked rail service is cancelled due to strike action in Italy, passengers are normally allowed to travel on other equivalent services instead or will be entitled to a refund.

Passengers travelling with Trenitalia will need to request a refund either at the station or by using this web form

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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