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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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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.

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