Traveling to Sweden: Entry rules and restrictions are explained
Following the Swedish Public Health Agency’s recommendation, the Swedish government has introduced milder Coronavirus restrictions and requirements for both travelers and its citizens.
As of February 9, the requirement for testing has been limited to the arrivals of third countries only, and domestic restrictions have been abolished, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Sweden has registered 2,460,783 positive cases of covid-19 since the pandemic started, of which 12,402 have been reported in the last seven days. In addition, 17,549 people have died due to covid-19 implications since 2020.
Entry requirements for travelers from EU / EEA countries
Travelers from these countries and Switzerland are exempt from the entry ban and can travel to Sweden without presenting additional covid-19 requirements.
“As of 9 February 2022, there is no longer an entry ban for entry directly from an EU / EEA country or Switzerland. This means that everyone, regardless of citizenship, can enter Sweden without any covid-19 specific restrictions. ” the police website explains.
In addition, the same rule applies to transit via an EU / EEA country if the traveler is treated for immigration in the first destination country, regardless of the country of origin of the trip.
Entry requirements for travelers from third countries
On the other hand, travelers from third countries are still subject to an entry ban, which means that a vaccination passport or a negative test performed within 72 hours of departure may be required.
However, several categories of travelers are exempt from this entry ban, as shown by the following:
- Swedish citizens traveling into the country without being required to present a covid-19 certificate
- Swedish residents with a valid residence permit, who are also exempted from presenting a covid-19 certificate
- Swedish residents with a valid residence permit for a period shorter than one year who are exempt from the entry ban but need to present a valid covid-19 certificate
- EEA citizens who present a valid covid-19 certificate
- Residents of excluded countries, who must present the necessary documents at the Schengen border, as they are exempt from the non-essential travel ban
- Fully vaccinated travelers, with the vaccination certificate issued in approved countries.
The excluded countries include the following:
- Bahrain
- Chile
- Colombia
- Hong Kong
- Indonesia
- Kuwait
- Macao
- New Zealand
- Peru
- Qatar
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uruguay
Vaccination certificates from these countries are not accepted as valid by Swedish authorities.
However, fully vaccinated travelers with vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or WHO may enter the country without showing a negative test, provided that their final dose has been received 14 days before they reach Sweden.
“Not fully vaccinated travelers, e.g. unaccompanied minors, partially vaccinated or travelers with medical exemptions, are not exempt. The exception is fully linked to the vaccine certificate, not country of residence or citizenship. “ explains the authority.
The list of approved countries in Sweden consists of:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Cape Verde
- El Salvador
- Faroe Islands
- Georgia
- Israel
- Lebanon
- Morocco
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- New Zealand
- Northern Macedonia
- Panama
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom + Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey
- Uruguay
- USA
- Vatican
Domestic covid-19 restrictions
Since 9 February, the Swedish government has eased national restrictions at the request of the Swedish Public Health Agency.
The new measures include removing participant boundaries at public gatherings and events, abolishing maximum group sizes in food and beverage outlets, shopping malls, private gatherings and tournaments.
“On April 1, the remaining official recommendations will be removed or adapted to the transmission rate, the burden on healthcare and the vaccination rate at that time. Thereafter, the vaccination recommendation will remain, along with specific recommendations for care and nursing settings.” warns in the press release from the Ministry of Social Affairs.
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