Germany changes entry rules for arrivals from Bulgaria
As of December 19, Germany has reclassified Bulgaria as no longer a high-risk Covid-19 area, meaning that the requirements for digital registration on the www.einreiseanmeldung.de website and mandatory quarantine on arrival fall away, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia said.
However, when arriving in Germany from Bulgaria, the requirement for mandatory presentation of Covid-19 certification documents (certificate of illness, vaccination or test certificate) remains valid, the Foreign Ministry said.
The obligation to present a certificate of vaccination, illness or a negative PCR or antigen test applies to everyone (except children under 12 years of age), regardless of the means of transport in which the trip is made.
Types of vaccines recognized by the German authorities can be found at https://www.pei.de/impfstoffe/covid-19. Fourteen days must have elapsed after the full vaccination (one or two doses depending on the type of vaccine; if the person is ill and has one dose, that is also recognised). The vaccine must be listed in an EU Digital Covid Certificate or in a WHO Yellow Immunization Passport.
As regards the recognised certificate of recovery from Covid-19, it is necessary to present a positive result from a PCR test from at least 28 days previously, but not older than six months before arrival in Germany.
PCR or antigen tests are recognised for travel to Germany, with the result stated in German, English or French.The PCR test should be performed no later than 72 hours before arrival and the antigen test no later than 48 hours before arrival in Germany. Antibody tests are not recognised.
Photographs of the certificates are not accepted. The original documents must be presented, both on paper and in digital form, the statement said.
Separately, Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said that as of December 20, travellers to Austria must present both a certificate that they have been vaccinated or have had Covid-19 and a negative PCR test or a third dose of vaccine.
As part of the “2G rule”, the vaccination certificate must no be older than 270 days and the illness certificate no older than 180 days.
In addition to one of the two certificates, people arriving in Austria must present a negative result of a PCR test no older than 72 hours or must have received a booster dose of vaccine.
When 2G compliant citizens do not present a test result or do not have a booster dose, they will be quarantined. They may leave quarantine after a PCR test, the statement said.
Travellers must pre-register at https://entry.ptc.gv.at/.
People who are not immunised and who have not been ill within the specified time will be placed in immediate 10-day quarantine. This may be discontinued on the fifth day, after a PCR test. In this case, registration at https://entry.ptc.gv.at/ is also required.
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said that from December 20, everyone entering Switzerland, whether vaccinated against or having had Covid-19, must submit a negative PCR test for Sars-CoV-2 carried out up to 72 hours before arrival, or a negative result from a rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test performed up to 24 hours before arrival in the country.
Also, from December 20, those vaccinated against Covid-19 and those who have contracted the disease will be exempted from the requirement to repeat the test between the fourth and seventh day after entering the country.
For the unvaccinated and those who have not had the disease, the test should be repeated between the fourth and seventh day of entry and the result reported to the relevant cantonal authorities.
It is also mandatory to fill in a travel data collection form for anyone wishing to travel to Switzerland. The form can be filled in advance electronically at https://swissplf.admin.ch, or on paper, but not earlier than 48 hours before entering the country.
Some categories are exempted from the requirement to complete and submit the form: professional carriers of passengers and goods; transit passengers; border workers; and those entering from neighbouring countries.
(Photo of Berlin: pixabay)
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