Sweden Government on Thursday (Aug 26) announced to extend the ban on entry to Sweden from countries outside and within the EU/EEA. The main rule remains that travellers from countries in the EU/EEA – apart from the Nordic countries – cannot enter Sweden without showing a vaccine certificate, a negative COVID-19 test result or a certificate confirming recovery from COVID-19.
Travellers from countries outside the EU/EEA can only enter Sweden if they are covered by one of the exemptions from the entry ban and can also present a negative COVID-19 test result. The extended entry bans apply until 31 October 2021 or until further notice.
The Government’s decision to extend the ban on entry to Sweden is primarily due to the continued uncertainty concerning COVID-19-infection and the spread of particularly significant variants of the virus.
The Sweden Government had already decided that the entry restrictions within the EU/EEA should be scaled back cautiously to reduce the risk of a setback that would necessitate new restrictions. In June, the Swedish regulation was adapted to the EU regulation on COVID-19 certificates, which allows travel within the EU without restrictions if a traveller can present a certificate showing that they have:
been vaccinated against COVID-19,
tested negative within 72 hours prior to arrival; or
recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months.
As earlier, travellers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway are not subject to any entry restrictions and thus do not need to present any certification upon entry into Sweden.
The extension of the ban on entry from countries outside the EU/EEA is in line with EU recommendations. In addition, the Public Health Agency of Sweden considers that entry restrictions remain important for travellers from countries outside the EU/EEA, where vaccination rates in many cases are lower than in EU/EEA countries, and where the epidemiological situation regarding transmission and particularly significant virus variants is more difficult to assess.
The regulations stipulating that people who travel to Sweden from a country outside the EU/EEA may only enter the country if they are covered by one of the exemptions from the entry ban and can also present a negative COVID-19 test result still apply. A negative COVID-19 test result is only valid for 48 hours. This requirement applies to foreign citizens aged 18 and older, with certain exemptions.
Travel advisory for many countries
The Sweden Ministry for Foreign Affairs (UD) advises against non-essential travel to most countries outside the EU, EEA, Schengen area and UK. The advisory will apply until 15 October 2021.
The following countries and territories are exempt and currently considered safe to travel to:
Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, Macao, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Qatar, Moldova, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United States.
