Schengen Area borders: when does the Schengen Area reopen?

The Schengen Area’s borders are ready to reopen. Here we explain the terms for the reopening of the Schengen Area.
  

Schengen Area borders: when does the Schengen Area reopen?

 
June 11, 2021
 
Note: The Schengen Area is a free movement zone without border controls. It includes 26 European countries: all the members of the European Union (except for Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Cyprus and Ireland), as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. With Europ Assistance’s Schengen Plus insurance, you are covered for travel within the Schengen Area, as well as in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom.
  
In March 2020, the Schengen Area closed its borders because of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Only a few foreign nationals were able to travel within Europe, under limited conditions which were qualified as “compelling reasons” to travel. Today, after more than a year of uncertainty, the Schengen Area is reopening its external borders, subject to conditions. Read on to discover how you can travel in the Schengen Area, depending on the state of the pandemic in non-member countries.

The Schengen Area reopens: a how-to guide

With summer 2021 arriving, the tourism industry in Europe needs to reopen. As the state of the pandemic improves, the European Commission decided to reopen the Schengen Area to non-European travellers in the beginning of May.
After long hours of negotiation, the countries of Europe decided to impose a few conditions on the border reopening. Each non-member country is evaluated based on a set of criteria—the epidemiological situation, the number of tests conducted, the vaccination campaign, how reliable the data is—and then categorised into 3 lists by colour (green, orange, red).

The green list: Schengen Area borders fully open

No active circulation of the virus or worrying strains in green countries. These currently include Europe, Australia, South Korea, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand and Singapore.
- Vaccinated individuals from a green country may be admitted to the Schengen Area through France without conditions.
- Unvaccinated individuals from a green country must meet one requirement: provide a negative RT-PCR or antigen test dating less than 72 hours before boarding.

Are you a citizen of the Schengen Area who would like to travel to a green country? Whether or not you are vaccinated, you can cross the border without providing proof of a compelling reason. You will, however, need to consult the health regulations in your country of destination (compelling reasons, RT-PCR tests, quarantine). 

The orange list: Schengen Area borders open subject to conditions

Due to active circulation of the virus, but in the absence of worrying strains, some countries are categorised as orange. This list includes all countries that are neither green nor red.
- Vaccinated individuals from an orange country may be admitted into the Schengen Area via France without having to prove a compelling reason for travel, subject to one condition: provide a negative RT-PCR test dating from less than 72 hours before boarding or a negative antigen test dating from less than 48 hours.
- Unvaccinated individuals from an orange country must prove a compelling reason for travel (list of compelling reasons for orange countries), provide a negative RT-PCR test from less than 72 hours or an antigen test from less than 48 hours. Upon arrival, they may be required to submit to an antigen test and will be asked to self-isolate for 7 days.

Are you a resident of the Schengen Area who would like to travel to an orange country? You may leave the Schengen Area without a compelling reason only if you are vaccinated. If you are not vaccinated, you will have to provide proof of a compelling reason (list of orange countries). Vaccinated or not, do not forget to consult the health regulations in place at your country of destination (compelling reasons, RT-PCR test, quarantine).

The red list: Schengen Area borders remain closed

Due to active circulation of the virus and/or the presence of worrying strains in the country, some countries are classified red. These currently include South Africa, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Turkey and Uruguay.

Whether or not they are vaccinated, individuals coming from a red country must provide proof of a compelling reason for travel (list of compelling reasons for red countries) in order to cross the Schengen Area borders through France. They must also provide a negative RT-PCR or antigen test dating from less than 48 hours before boarding and submit to an antigen test upon arrival. Finally, while vaccinated individuals must self-isolate for 7 days, unvaccinated individuals must submit to a 10-day quarantine under the observation of the police.

Are you a resident of the Schengen Area who would like to travel to a red country? You may leave the Schengen Area without a compelling reason only if you are vaccinated. If you are not vaccinated, you will have to provide proof of a compelling reason (list of red countries). Vaccinated or not, do not forget to consult the health regulations in place at your country of destination (compelling reasons, RT-PCR test, quarantine).
Need more information? Consult the French government’s website. 

Note: This list is regularly updated based on the infection rates in each country and has no effect on the barrier gestures and health regulations imposed by the destination country upon arrival (curfew, mask mandate, etc.)

Note: In order to benefit from the special conditions for vaccinated individuals, you must provide a complete vaccination certification dating from at least 14 days before travel with proof of one of the vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency or listed on the WHO’s Emergency Use Listing.