It has been rumored and reported for almost a week now and now we have the official word that many Americans had been dreading – America and most other nations are not on the “approved” list to enter European borders as of July 1. Here are the 14 countries that made the cut.
US Travelers and Many More Not Welcome in Europe Right Now
Rolling Reviews and Reciprocity
I will start by saying this – the list will be reviewed on a regular basis and countries that are improving on the coronavirus front will be added to the list on a rolling basis. It is expected that the next update will come July 15.
At the same time, while the European Commission has said that this list is based on epidemiological data and is not political, it appears that being reciprocal with European countries for border admission could get countries on this admission list sooner. Case in point is China.
China is not one of the 14 countries but they will be allowed on the list if they will start allowing Europeans back into the country. Officials have said that reciprocity is required for the list. So, if the US reopens their borders to Europeans, maybe they would make it on the “good” list quicker.
The Countries That Europe is Open to from July 1
So, here are the 14 countries that have made this original cut:
- Algeria
- Australia
- Canada
- Georgia
- Japan
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- Rwanda
- Serbia
- South Korea
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Uruguay
Just a note – Australia, for example, has a ban on their citizens departing Australia right now so it is not very likely that many tourists from Australia will enter Europe in the near future. However, Melbourne has a huge Greek population so if some of them were wanting to visit family, that may be something they could do.
Here is the official list from the EU council with information on who is currently allowed in.
In a blow to tourism in Greece (who had said before that they would open to the world and they have put testing measures in place), the US, Russia, and Israel did not make this cut. Furthermore, Greece will not allow flights from the UK until July 15. This is bad news for Greece since those countries make up more than 25% of the tourism economy.
Earlier reports last week had said that Uganda and Cuba would be on the safe list – which I had said at the time was a peculiar thing to leak. It turns out they did not make the cut either which may mean it was more of a swipe at the US and maybe a negotiating tactic than anything else.
There are Americans that can enter – people that have dual citizenship with an EU nation, a resident permit, immediate family who are nationals, etc. I just returned from the US to Europe using a resident permit and it was not an issue at all.
I think I said this in another one of your posts but I officially pulled the plug on going to Greece this year. Too many unknowns, moving parts, last minute changes, etc. I hope to go late in May of 2021.
Best of luck to those that still hope to go to Greece or the EU from wherever you are in the world.
That’s a shame, Sam, but I think you made the right move. I think Greece is going to do well but I think there will also be a large number of unknowns as well. I just hope that many of the hotels are able to make it as I heard that up to 60% of the independent hotels may not make it through the year.
If they do, I think you will see a lot of competition and deals in May! So, good luck with that trip!
I have been hearing quite a bit about this move being partially a political one, especially with the reciprocity requirement with China. If the US opens to Europeans, I think we will magically appear on the next “safe list.” If Greece, with all the economic struggles they have had, can be prepared for the fact that some tourists will have the virus, any place else that tourists would want to visit could as well!
Thanks Charlie. I called Delta to try to get information and ad of today they are telling me they are still planning to fly the route. My flight has not been cancelled yet and it is there on their site. If I cancel it on my own I won;t get a refund, which I would prefer to all that credit. Meanwhile, they are not advertising the flights anymore. but mine and my friend’s who has her flight on July 19, both Greek Americans with only a US passport, still have our flights listed as a GO.
Do you think Delta will cancel on us a couple days on advance? Or are there ongoing talks with the US to get this up by July 15?
Hi, Constantine – there are ongoing talks. Personally, I think at this point that it is less important for the US to work this out. Obviously, they would rather all US citizens/residents spend their summer tourism dollars in the US! But, I think the EU would update with the US if there is even a hint of a drop in cases and the US opens. Delta would likely cancel in the days leading up to the 15th to avoid having to cancel and refund people when the flight would be allowed to go on. So sorry it is so touch-and-go for you with this! Hope it works out!
Thanks Charlie. yeah Delta canceled my July 16 to Athens. What I still find odd is that Canada does not allow EU citizens to enter still, yet they are on the EU’s list. What happened to reciprocity being a determining factor? I also saw randomly a whole plane of Swedes land the other day, of whom none were tested. Lol. It’s about health right?
The whole thing is just political tantrum between the EU and USA. And Greece just has to sadly go along with whatever the EU tells them. I wish they’d go at it alone since this is just political, but they never do; they may talk about it but then they always capitulate to Brussels. Happens time and time again.
Anyway, I re-booked for August 1 as a last ditch attempt; but if EU still wants to cut its nose off to spite its face still by then, I’ll most likely head down to Marco island or Sanibel.
Keep us posted if you hear any hope that Greece will grow a pair and do what’s right for its economy, maybe standing up for itself for once.
Appreciate all the updates and thanks for all your work Charlie.
No problem, Constantine! So sorry you are still having to wait on everything!
It is strange – Greece is partially bucking it with some countries being allowed to fly here that are not on the EU list. I think the US is just too big of a nation to buck the commission with. Hopefully, we will hear more in the next week!
It’s ok, rolling with the punches but man this is brutal. Two things:
1. It looks like Croatia is open to Americans. I have heard a lot of Americans are heading there instead (Croatia will actually benefit from the EU nban on Americans). I may head over there if Greece keeps the ban on come July 15. If they let us in from August I could always hop down from there.
2. Do you think the #loveisnottourism movement that would allow for bi-national couples to reunite, will pick up? I’ve been dating a girl in Athens for the past couple years, with one spell of a split-up in the middle (which is one of the reasons I have been reticent to give up on this trip) and would be happy to apply for entry via this route. Not sure how it would be implemented though or if/when it would start. Seems reasonable though.
Thanks for the update. This is disappointing news and I do believe it is as much politically driven as health driven. Since our flight isn’t until September we will continue to wait and see how this all plays out.
I had not heard about the amount of independent hotels being in jeopardy.
This would be devastating for them and all the workers, hopefully they can survive.
Hopefully there won’t be another wave/round of lock downs that will impact next season.
When the US has 20x the benchmark daily breakouts it is not political but most certainly health-based. I also would hope there’s a provision about having been in any country not on the list for the previous 14 days (including transiting) as an exclusion even if one is a resident or passport holder of a permitted country. After all this is meant to prevent reinfections across the EU.
You had no issues at all going into Europe from the US with your residency card? Did they require you to do a 14 day quarantine? Or has that been eliminated…
No problems! They scanned my card and that was that (with a glance at my ID page of my US passport). The quarantine measures are set by the destination country. For me, it was Greece and they do not require quarantine unless you test positive. You need to self-quarantine for 24 hours after the test.
Hi Charlie, question: I live in the USA with double passport EU and US, my wife has a US passport. We are scheduled to go to Greece at the end of July on vacation. According to your situation entering Greece we can both access Greece without having to do the 2-weeks quarantined correct ?
That is correct! The only time a quarantine would be necessary (under current guidelines) is if you are selected for a random test and it comes back positive. Enjoy the time – where are you headed, islands or mainland?
Thanks Charlie, this is very good information as I was under the impression we could not enter Greece at all, considering the latest ban from the EU on the USA.
We are heading to Crete for 4 weeks considering the current situation we are avoiding islands hopping.
Paolo
I was amazed that they didn’t include Vietnam, Taiwan, and HK in the list.
Hi Charlie – thanks for the info. I’m an American (US passport) expat living in the Japan. Are you saying that I can’t enter Europe just because I’m an American even though I am not spending any time on American soil? I don’t have any of the qualifications you listed for Europe (dual citizenship, residence permit for Europe etc). Is it my passport that is the determining factor or the where I currently reside and spend all my time (Japan). Please clarify as I’m sure there are a lot of Americans who are your viewers that are not necessarily in the US.
Hi, Bobby! If you have legal residence status in Japan, you should be fine to enter. It was never really supposed to be the passport but about where you had been living/staying but I have heard that some readers had been refused entry at EU borders even though they had been visiting other countries. But, those readers did not have residence permits/status in any country but the US.
So, according to the EU guidelines, if you have proof of residence for Japan, it would not matter that you are on a US passport. Hope you are able to visit this summer – should be fairly quiet here! 🙂
i am waiting for the Philippines to open but unsure when that will be was suppose to go April 13th 2020 BUT THIS IS WHEN THE COVID 19 happened and they locked it down now over 3 months still waiting for information on this
We are a family of 3 with permanent residency in Sint Maarten, Netherland Antilles. Husband is French National with dual citizenship (France/U.S.) Myself and son are American nationals. All of us have a valid U.S. passport and have not traveled anywhere since June 2019. We are relocating to France due to employment circumstances. Will we be allowed to enter France?
Hi Charlie: I know you said quarantine it’s imposed by the destination country, I can’t find any info about Romania, we are planning on arriving July 17, do you think we need to quarantine. We are US citizens also Romanian citizens and visit my parents. Thank you
Based on the latest news from Romania (June 24) you can enter as a Romanian citizen (will definitely need your paperwork for that unless you have a Romanian passport) but will need to quarantine for 14 days. Check this page https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm
Hi Charlie I was born in Greece I am US citizen can I travel to Greece ?
Hi, Paulos – only if you have a Greek passport or a resident permit.