The European Union has proposed that Member States can start reopening their borders to vaccinated travelers from outside of the EU area.

“The Commission proposes to allow entry to the EU for non-essential reasons not only for all persons coming from countries with a good epidemiological situation but also all people who have received the last recommended dose of an EU-authorised vaccine.”

Both Portugal and Spain have indicated that they anticipate allowing entry to vaccinated Americans in June, following guidance from the EU.

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Photo credit: SchengenVisaInfo

The European Union announced on June 30th that it would not admit visitors from the U.S. when it opens its borders on July 1, 2020. The 27 member countries of the E.U., which include Portugal and Spain, are expected to comply with the standards that were adopted. The decision to exclude the U.S. from its list of countries that are permitted to enter was based on the increase in coronavirus cases. The criteria used to establish the list of countries includes data such as infection rates, which must be equal to or better than the E.U., and there must also be reciprocal arrangements that allow E.U. citizens to enter the country. E.U. citizens are currently banned from entering the U.S.

There were a total of 15 countries on the initial list of “safe countries.” The E.U. said it would review the data every 2 weeks to add/remove countries from the list based on changes in their infection rates and travel restrictions. We will update the status of U.S. travel to Portugal and Spain as new info is reported – see below.

Update as of July 30, 2020 (no further update has been given):

The U.S. continues to be excluded from the list of countries that are allowed entry to the E.U.

The list of “safe countries” was updated on July 30, 2020, with the total dropping from 15 to 12 countries. For a list of the 12 countries that are permitted entry to the E.U. click here.