Popular holiday destinations still with strict Covid restrictions on UK travellers

With summer just around the corner, many Brits are looking to go abroad in the sun for a short time, but some places still have some tough Covid-19 restrictions in place

Brits will look to swap the UK for hot spots abroad this summer.

For some, the recent warm weather has reminded people of the benefits of spending some time relaxing in the sun.

Most of the popular destinations have only minor Covid-19 travel restrictions for Brits who are fully stung, but some countries still have some restrictions in place.

Kosovo has some of the toughest restrictions in Europe and the last major changes appear to have been made in early April.

They should wear a mask on public transport and in all indoor public spaces and “observe the rules of one meter social distancing”.

Thankfully, more popular destinations don’t have such stringent entry restrictions, but it’s a reminder of what can happen if there’s a small wave or outbreak of the coronavirus.

We’ve looked at some of the UK’s most popular destinations to see if travel restrictions are still in place.

Where else does Covid have travel restrictions?

Many countries still have Covid travel restrictions, albeit minor ones, including France and the US.

Others include Italy and Spain, while some countries have no travel restrictions but may require you to wear a mask when visiting some environments.

Entry requirements for France

France still has some minor restrictions on fully vaccinated individuals who require proof of vaccination.

The Government said: “This means your last dose must have been administered at least 7 days before traveling for Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or 28 days after a second dose by Johnson & Johnson.

Statista listed France as the UK’s second most popular tourist destination before the pandemic, with around 10 million visitors in 2019.

Entry requirements for Greece

You can easily enter Greece without Covid restrictions and passengers no longer have to fill in the Passenger Locator Form.

Face masks indoors were lifted in early June 2022, but travelers to the land of the Parthenon, the Acropolis and the party islands of Mykonos and Zante should note that public transport requires masks.

The Greek government said it was “required in local public transport (city buses, metro, tram) and in those areas of cruise ships, pleasure boats, yachts and ferries where the use of a mask is required”.

Entry requirements for Italy

Italy’s only restrictions are that people must wear an FFP2 mask to enter the country by plane, ferry, train or bus.

Entry requirements for the Colosseum, Venice Canals and Leaning Tower of Pisa are the same regardless of your vaccination status.

Entry requirements for Monaco

Monaco currently follows the traffic light system of entry requirements, although the UK is listed as green on this list.

Entry requirements differ depending on a person’s vaccination status.

If a person is fully vaccinated and over the age of 16, they must provide one of the following documents:

• Proof of vaccination
• A negative PCR or antigen test within 24 hours
• Evidence of recovery from COVID-19 within the last six months.

If you are not fully vaccinated you must provide a negative PCR or antigen test performed within the last 24 hours or proof of recovery from Covid within the last 6 months but more than 11 days prior to arrival.

Entry requirements for Portugal

Fully vaccinated people do not need to be tested upon arrival, but must be able to show that they have received “a full course of vaccinations approved by the European Medicines Agency no less than 14 days and no more than 270 days before arrival”.

This or a booster vaccination approved by the European Medicines Agency at least 14 days before your arrival.

Individuals with two doses are considered fully vaccinated.

Those who are not fully vaccinated must have a negative PCR test that is no more than 72 hours old.

Alternatively, they can provide recent evidence of recovery from Covid or an LFT performed no more than 24 hours prior to boarding.

Entry requirements for Spain

Spain is the UK’s most popular holiday destination and travelers must show proof of full vaccination.

You can show this or one of the following:

People who are not fully vaccinated must have proof of a negative diagnostic test taken within 72 hours of entering Spain or proof that they have recovered from Covid-19 in the last 6 months.

Entry requirements for the United States

On June 10, the US, which had four million visits in 2019 before the pandemic, dropped negative testing requirements for Brits entering after June 12.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “All Covid testing requirements for travelers entering the US have fallen this Sunday – a huge boost for transatlantic travel.

“Follows the lifting of ALL restrictions in the UK in March and our talks with the US for a full resumption of international travel.”