Can I enter Norway if I've been vaccinated against Covid-19?
As more and more people are getting coronavirus vaccines, many are wondering how vaccines will reopen travel across the globe, but can you travel to Norway if you’ve had an injection? Here's what you need to know.
Current restrictions
Currently, entry into Norway is restricted to a very small group of people outside of foreign residents and citizens regardless of their vaccination status.
People from “yellow countries”, countries with low enough Covid-19 infections, can also enter Norway.
This currently only applies to Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and parts of Finland.
The list of yellow countries should grow in the future.
There is no requirement for travellers from these countries to be vaccinated before entry.
The only people who can enter Norway based on their vaccination status are healthcare professionals with fully vaccinated healthcare workers able to enter.
You can see a full list of the exceptions to the entry requirements here.
From May 27th, travellers from European countries who have fewer than 150 new infections per 100,000 people in the previous 14 days will no longer be required to enter a quarantine hotel. The UK will be included on this list.
READ MORE: Travel: Norway to ease entry and quarantine hotel restrictions
Those coming from areas outside of the EEA, Schengen zone, and the UK will still have to enter quarantine hotels for a minimum of seven days out of the ten-day quarantine period.
People will be able to test themselves out of quarantine hotels after seven days.
This also means that those arriving in Norway from essential trips could be placed into quarantine hotels if there is a high level of infections in the country they are returning from.
Corona certificates and vaccine passports
Looking ahead, vaccination may help open travel into Norway in the summer.
Norway is planning to launch the full version of its corona certificate or vaccine passport in mid-June.
PM Erna Solberg has previously hinted at corona certificates or vaccine passports, opening travel possibilities.
“In regards to travel, we must see how it works within the context of the EU’s own plans for vaccine passports and travel,” she said at a government press conference unveiling the passports.
READ MORE: How will the EU's Covid passport scheme work for travel in Europe?
The EU is designing its own vaccine passport to open up travel within and outside the Bloc. The EU’s vaccine passport is expected to be ready around June 21st.
Norway has been invited to participate in this scheme, and the final version of the Norwegian corona certificate is being designed in line with EU regulations. '
So, it looks possible that Norway will participate in the EU’s vaccine passport scheme. This could potentially allow those fully vaccinated with an EU approved vaccine to enter Norway.
The vaccines currently approved by the EU are Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
The EU Covid-19 certificate will enable travellers to prove that they are either vaccinated, recovered from coronavirus or have tested negative.
Furthermore, the EU will allow vaccinated travellers outside the Bloc to enter Europe if they are fully inoculated with an approved vaccine.
Erna Solberg has said that the Norwegian vaccine passport may allow people to travel into Norway before the EU’s vaccine passport or green pass is ready.
“If Norway has a certificate in place before that, we will consider opening travel to and from the EU before the European certificate is in place,” she added.
Unfortunately, the prime minister did not provide any dates or further details on how this would work.
Vaccines could also allow people to avoid quarantine if they have a valid vaccine passport.
“When we have received new professional advice, we will consider removing the entry quarantine completely for those who are protected with a vaccine or have immunity as a result of having had corona. However, this will require that we have a verifiable corona certificate in place first,” Health Minister Bent Høie has said.
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Current restrictions
Currently, entry into Norway is restricted to a very small group of people outside of foreign residents and citizens regardless of their vaccination status.
People from “yellow countries”, countries with low enough Covid-19 infections, can also enter Norway.
This currently only applies to Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and parts of Finland.
The list of yellow countries should grow in the future.
There is no requirement for travellers from these countries to be vaccinated before entry.
The only people who can enter Norway based on their vaccination status are healthcare professionals with fully vaccinated healthcare workers able to enter.
You can see a full list of the exceptions to the entry requirements here.
From May 27th, travellers from European countries who have fewer than 150 new infections per 100,000 people in the previous 14 days will no longer be required to enter a quarantine hotel. The UK will be included on this list.
READ MORE: Travel: Norway to ease entry and quarantine hotel restrictions
Those coming from areas outside of the EEA, Schengen zone, and the UK will still have to enter quarantine hotels for a minimum of seven days out of the ten-day quarantine period.
People will be able to test themselves out of quarantine hotels after seven days.
This also means that those arriving in Norway from essential trips could be placed into quarantine hotels if there is a high level of infections in the country they are returning from.
Corona certificates and vaccine passports
Looking ahead, vaccination may help open travel into Norway in the summer.
Norway is planning to launch the full version of its corona certificate or vaccine passport in mid-June.
PM Erna Solberg has previously hinted at corona certificates or vaccine passports, opening travel possibilities.
“In regards to travel, we must see how it works within the context of the EU’s own plans for vaccine passports and travel,” she said at a government press conference unveiling the passports.
READ MORE: How will the EU's Covid passport scheme work for travel in Europe?
The EU is designing its own vaccine passport to open up travel within and outside the Bloc. The EU’s vaccine passport is expected to be ready around June 21st.
Norway has been invited to participate in this scheme, and the final version of the Norwegian corona certificate is being designed in line with EU regulations. '
So, it looks possible that Norway will participate in the EU’s vaccine passport scheme. This could potentially allow those fully vaccinated with an EU approved vaccine to enter Norway.
The vaccines currently approved by the EU are Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
The EU Covid-19 certificate will enable travellers to prove that they are either vaccinated, recovered from coronavirus or have tested negative.
Furthermore, the EU will allow vaccinated travellers outside the Bloc to enter Europe if they are fully inoculated with an approved vaccine.
Erna Solberg has said that the Norwegian vaccine passport may allow people to travel into Norway before the EU’s vaccine passport or green pass is ready.
“If Norway has a certificate in place before that, we will consider opening travel to and from the EU before the European certificate is in place,” she added.
Unfortunately, the prime minister did not provide any dates or further details on how this would work.
Vaccines could also allow people to avoid quarantine if they have a valid vaccine passport.
“When we have received new professional advice, we will consider removing the entry quarantine completely for those who are protected with a vaccine or have immunity as a result of having had corona. However, this will require that we have a verifiable corona certificate in place first,” Health Minister Bent Høie has said.
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