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What will change when Italy eases the rules on travel from UK?

Italy's health minister announced that vaccinated travellers from the UK will no longer have to quarantine on arrival from Tuesday. But what exactly are the rules for vaccinated and non vaccinated travellers?

What will change when Italy eases the rules on travel from UK?
Photo: Piero Cruciatti / AFP

Italy initially re-imposed a 5-day quarantine for travellers arriving from Britain back in June, when the Delta variant was spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom. 

On Saturday, Health Minister Roberto Speranza announced that he had signed a new ordinance ending the ‘mini-quarantine’ for visitors from the UK, starting on the August 31st.

There was some confusion about when the rule change would come into place with the Italian embassy in the UK initially tweeting that the relaxed rule of vaccinated travellers would start on September 1st, before making the correction to August 31st.

Vaccinated travellers from the UK

Fully-vaccinated travellers arriving from the UK will therefore no longer have to undergo the 5-day quarantine upon arrival to Italy. However, they will still have to take a Covid-19 test and show proof of vaccination.

Italy recognises proof of vaccination issued by the UK’s NHS and allows it to be used in place of the ‘green pass’ within to access museums, concerts and other venues within Italy.

Travellers who have been in the UK in the previous 14 days must also present a negative molecular (PCR) or antigen test taken no more than 48 hours before travel.

Children under the age of 6 do not need to take a test.

READ ALSO: Your questions about Italy’s quarantine rules for UK arrivals answered

Before travel, you must also complete an online digital form that will generate a QR code, which you may have to present to travel provider and Border Police if requested.

Some things were still unclear however such as whether vaccinated travellers who arrived before the change in rules would still have to spend five days in quarantine or whether it would end on August 31st.

It was also unclear what the policy would be towards those who had recovered from Covid and received one jab of their vaccine.

Note that the Italian travel rules are based on which country you travel from, and not which passport you hold.

Non-vaccinated travellers from the UK

For non-vaccinated travellers, the rules stay the same as before. Those coming to Italy from the UK will have to show a negative test and then quarantine for 5 days upon arrival. They must take another test at the end of the quarantine period.

Vaccinated travellers from the EU

Italy is allowing entry from all EU and Schengen zone countries using the Europe-wide ‘green pass’ scheme. 

What about travellers from outside the EU?

The health minister said that existing restrictions for visitors from other countries will remain in place.

READ ALSO: What to expect if you’re flying from the US to Italy

Stay up to date with Italy’s travel rules by following The Local’s travel section and checking the Italian Health Ministry’s website (in English).

Member comments

  1. Hi, I’m planning to visit Milan in October and I’m wondering how do I present a negative test when I go?

  2. If the health minister said that existing restrictions for visitors from other countries will remain in place, does that mean they are not changing anything for the US for September?

  3. Why does the Local focus on the UK and we hardly hear anything about US and changes in our restrictions?

  4. We are travelling to Sicily from UK (over the moon that we no longer have to self-isolate) and have seen suggestions that some regions might require a PCR test rather than rapid antigen test, but can’t find any information on this (I’ve looked on the Sicilian regional health website but can’t see anything useful there). Any advice would be extremely welcome.
    Thanks
    Julia

  5. 2 points to consider:
    Returning to the UK will still involve proof of having booked and paid for a 2 day PCR test. This is often far more expensive than the actual flights.
    The UK QR code cannot at present be read by Italian lettori

  6. At the moment, because there are no changes to report for US arrivals? In fact, only a few days ago there was was an article about how there were no changes to report!

    1. Hi Elinor
      As far as I understand it, Italy accepts a certified rapid antigen test for arrivals, but the advice I have seen is that some regions might require a PCR. I am specifically trying to find out about Sicily, but the regional website is a bit impenetrable and I can’t find an answer.

      1. Thank you! If we could just do the antigen test it is much cheaper!! I guess it will become clear – hopefully!!

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For members

STRIKES

What to expect from Italy’s nationwide rail strike on Sunday

Train passengers in Italy may face disruption on Sunday, June 16th, as staff at railway operators including Trenitalia and Trenord plan a 23-hour strike.

What to expect from Italy’s nationwide rail strike on Sunday

Anyone planning to travel by train this weekend could face delays or cancellations as staff at state-owned railway operators Trenitalia, Trenord and Trenitalia Tper plan to strike from 3am on Sunday, June 16th to 2am on Monday, June 17th, for a total of 23 hours.

The walkout was called by the PdM/PdB transport union in early May to demand the renewal of collective labour agreements in the rail transport sector.

Originally scheduled for Sunday, May 19th, the protest was later postponed to June 16th following a government injunction citing public safety concerns due to an overlap with the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix.

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.

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

Trenitalia 

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

Trenitalia said it will operate a number of minimum services during the walkout. These are available here.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in summer 2024

The operator advised passengers planning to travel on Sunday to check the status of their journey via the Infomobilità section of their website, their mobile app, or by calling toll-free number 800 89 20 21.

Passengers who have booked Intercity or Frecce journeys for Sunday and wish to cancel their trips will have until the scheduled departure time to request a refund. 

Passengers who have purchased regional train tickets will have to submit their refund requests by midnight on Saturday.

Trenord

Trenord, which operates a number of regional trains in the Lombardy region, including links to and from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, said that the walkout “may have repercussions” on all of their scheduled services.

People board a regional train at Milan's Stazione Centrale

People board a regional train at Milan’s Stazione Centrale. Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

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 mobile app for the latest updates.

Trenitalia Tper

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

Passengers travelling before the start or after the end of the protest may also face disruption, the statement said.

Trenitalia Tper will guarantee the operation of a number of minimum services (servizi minimi) during the day. These can be consulted here.

See their website for the latest updates.

Italo

A statement from Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, which owns and manages all of Italy’s railway network, said the walkout will only involve staff at state-owned operators Trenitalia, Trenitalia Tper and Trenord, meaning that scheduled services from private long-distance operator Italo will go ahead as normal on Sunday. 

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 or are entitled to a refund.

Passengers travelling with Trenitalia can request a refund either at the station or by completing this web form, whereas Italo generally issues refunds automatically.

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

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