Czechia introduces new travel restrictions

As of today, new rules for entering the Czech Republic are coming into force. They concern Czechs returning home from abroad and foreigners coming to the Czech Republic. Most European countries will be red at the so-called travel traffic light, which will be newly harmonized within the European Union.

Without the need to take the test after returning from the countries marked in red, it will still be possible to travel for a maximum of 12 hours, except for cross-border workers and students. Czech diplomacy also wants to exempt more extended visits from cross-border families from the testing obligation.

In orange, medium-risk countries, only long-term foreign workers will have to undergo tests, but not commuters. Today, this group of countries includes Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Greece, and Cyprus.

Green will be countries that test enough, with less than 25 new cases of covid-19 per 100,000 population in the last two weeks, and less than four percent of tests positive. Of the European countries, this so far only applies to the Vatican.

From non-European countries, you can travel to the Czech Republic without tests or quarantine from Singapore, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, and Australia.

However, passengers will have to continue to comply with the countries’ national coronavirus measures to which they are going. For example, from today, Bavaria removes the exemption for Czech citizens from traveling with a negative coronavirus test. A ten-day quarantine will be mandatory. After five days, it will be possible to end it with a negative covid test. The exception will apply to transit, international transport, local border traffic, quick family visits, or alternating childcare. For commuters, the same conditions remain as before regular testing.

The update of the travel traffic light should be published by the Ministry of Health every Friday. It will be valid from Monday.

Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly recommends that you do not travel abroad at this time unless it is necessary for work or family.