Vaccinated Americans can go to Europe

Europe will now allow all vaccinated Americans to visit.

By Erika Zuniga, Staff Writer

Fully vaccinated Americans are now able to travel to the European Union. (Graphic Illustration by Vickie Guzman/The Valley Star)

The United Kingdom announced that starting this summer, Americans will be able to visit if they are fully vaccinated.

Spain also announced that they will allow non-European travelers starting June 2. The European Union is working on its own version of a vaccine passport, called the Digital Green Certificate, that will make it easier for residents to travel between other countries in the union by showing whether a person has been vaccinated, received a negative COVID-19 test result or recently recovered from the virus.

Currently, Greece, Croatia and Iceland are open to vaccinated U.S. travelers. While each European nation will be able to set its own restrictions, the general consensus is that all 27 countries will accept inoculated travelers as the travel industry makes a push toward recovery. Following news that the European Union is working on a plan to welcome back tourists sometime in the near future, Spain stepped out and said that with or without the EU, it will begin allowing international guests to visit come June.

Foreign visitors are allowed to travel to France on June 9 with a Pass Sanitaire, which is currently trialing on all flights to and from Corsica. It is the first EU country to pilot a digital travel certificate, which is currently in the form of the TousAntiCovid application, where people upload vaccination certificates or negative COVID-19 test results before travel. France has yet to release details on how this would apply to people arriving from outside the country.

Until recently, nonessential travel to the European Union has been officially banned with the exception of visitors from a short list of countries. These countries have very low caseloads of the virus including Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

Some EU countries have made small exceptions to permit visitors from outside the bloc. Greece, for example, said last week that it would open its borders to travelers from the United States starting Monday, provided they show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test.

According to U.S. News, the countries that allow American citizens to enter if they have been fully vaccinated include Ecuador, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, Israel, Lithuania, Nepal and Romania.

While the countries outlined above are open to vaccinated travelers, there are also several other countries Americans can travel to regardless of their vaccination status. However, more restrictions are in place in those cases, which can include negative COVID-19 test requirements and days of quarantine, among other stipulations.