Sweden gives the green light to vaccinated tourists from certain countries
The government decided on Thursday that the EU Commission’s list of approved vaccine certificates – ie certificates that are legally treated as equivalent to the EU’s own Digital Covid certificate – will also apply in Sweden, reports the news agency TT.
The Swedish decision currently contains certificates issued by Northern Macedonia, San Marino, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the Vatican – but it can be extended to more countries in the future. Sweden intends to approve vaccine certificates when and when they are approved by the EU.
“This should be seen as a step in gradually and responsibly resuming travel to Sweden for vaccinated people from other countries,” said Interior Minister Mikael Damberg.
The decision means that people who live in countries on the EU Commission’s list and who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 may travel to Sweden without entry restrictions or test requirements, as long as they can show proof of vaccination.
The European Commission is expected to add more countries to the list soon, including the United Kingdom. The United States is more complicated due to the fact that different certificates are used in different states, reports TT.
Sweden on Thursday also updated its list of countries that are exempt from entry bans outside the EU. This means that tourists from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Japan and Serbia are no longer exempt from the ban, but tourists from Uruguay are exempt. This is also in line with EU recommendations.
The government’s decision will take effect on 20 September. It will also change the rules somewhat for those who have to show a negative Covid-19 test at the border: the test may after that date be up to 72 hours old rather than 48 hours, reports TT.
The EU has also previously recommended that Member States include exemptions from their travel bans for travelers from outside the EU who are fully vaccinated with an EU-approved vaccine, but Sweden has not yet taken this step.
According to current Swedish travel rules, access from most countries outside the EU is not permitted unless the traveler falls into one of several exempt categories. These categories include all Swedish residents and EU citizens, as well as people traveling for urgent family reasons and certain business trips, for example.