Sweden Exempts Vaccinated UK Citizens From Entry Ban & Test Requirement

Starting from next Monday, October 11, Sweden will permit entry for travellers from the United Kingdom reaching its territory for non-essential purposes, given that the same have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The decision was announced on Thursday, October 11, and will also remove the requirement to test for COVID-19 for vaccinated UK travellers.

“The Government today adopted amendments to the temporary ban on entry into Sweden. The changes mean that travellers who can present a vaccine certificate issued in the UK will be exempt from the ban on entry to Sweden and the COVID-19 test requirement,” the Swedish Ministry of Justice notes in a press release issued yesterday.

The same also explains that since March 19, 2020, travellers from third countries have been banned from entering the country, including here UK citizens, since December 31, 2020, when the country officially left the EU, and Brits became third-country citizens to the Member States.

The entry ban prevented travellers from entering the Swedish territory, except for cases when their purpose of travel fell under one of the categories exempted from the entry ban.

While most third countries remain subject to this ban, vaccinated UK travellers will no longer be from next Monday.

“The Government’s decision today means that people travelling to Sweden who can present a vaccination certificate issued in the United Kingdom are exempt from the entry ban and test requirement,” the press release notes.

Up until now, vaccinated UK travellers have been eligible to enter restriction-free only for essential purposes. Those non-vaccinated also travelling for essential purposes have had to test for COVID-19 upon arrival.

On September 24, SchengenVisaInfo.com had reported that vaccinated travellers from seven third countries would be able to travel to Sweden from September 27 under the same conditions as EU nationals. These countries are Albania, Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Israel, Morocco, Monaco, and Panama.

The decision followed a recommendation of the EU Commission to the Member States to recognise the vaccination passports of these countries. As a result, vaccination passport holders issued from any of these seven third countries are no longer subject to the requirement of quarantine and testing upon arrival.

Though Sweden had a more relaxed approach to the Coronavirus pandemic restrictions at the beginning of the outbreak in spring 2020, to date, it is one of the EU countries with stricter entry restrictions in place. While countries like Germany and France already permit entry for vaccinated travellers from the majority of third countries, Sweden had yet to take such a step.

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