Coronavirus news from abroad

As of the midnight between Friday, May 20 and Saturday, May 21, it will no longer be required to present a negative result on a COVID test before boarding a flight to Israel or a cruise to Israel or before arriving at an Israeli land border crossing.

In line with the Government decision of 10 March, the restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders will continue until 10 April 2022.

In line with the Government decision of 10 February, the restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders will continue until 13 March 2022.

In line with the Government decision of 27 January, internal border control between Finland and all Schengen countries will end on 31 January. Restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders will continue until 14 February.

The Government decided to reintroduce internal border control at Finland’s borders starting on Tuesday 28 December. The Government decided on the new restrictions at its session on 28 December. The decision will remain in force until 16 January 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected tourism in many ways, and even experienced travellers may encounter unexpected situations. We recommend that you plan and find out about matters in advance to make sure that your journey proceeds as planned. The Consular Services of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs approaches travellers in a letter with a number of tips on how to cope in various situations.

In line with the Government decision of 16 December, the restrictions on entry at Finland’s external borders will continue and health security measures will be tightened as of 20 December. The decision will remain in force until 16 January 2022

Based on the recommendations of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommends avoiding all travel to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mosambik and Malawi

On November 8, 2021, the country-specific restrictions will be lifted and those who are fully vaccinated will be able to travel to the United States.

Wearing a face mask is mandatory in indoor public areas in Israel. Foreign nationals must have an entry permit to Israel. Air travel to and from Israel is subject to entry and outbound clearances. All passengers arriving in Israel must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result to airline staff. Passengers with an Israeli COVID certificate are required to enter isolation until they receive COVID-19 negative test results to a test that they must take on arrival in Israel, or isolate for 24 hours (whichever is earlier). Travellers who were vaccinated or recovered outside of Israel must enter isolation, but they can apply for an exemption by taking a serological test in an accredited Israeli laboratory. Persons who are not vaccinated are required to quarantine for 14 days. There is an option to shorten the isolation period, if two PCR test results are negative: the first test, which is mandatory for all travelers, must be taken when you arrive in Israel; the second test is taken on the seventh day of isolation. All passengers who have visited destinations included by Israel in the list of countries with the highest COVID-19 risk are required to enter isolation 7-14 days. Full guidance can be found from the Israeli Ministry of Health website. Rules and regulations might change at short notice.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommends exercising special caution when travelling to the EU and Schengen area The Ministry also recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to countries outside the EU and Schengen area, except for countries for which the restrictions on entry have been lifted.

Israel has eased COVID-19 restrictions due to an improved epidemiological situation and a high vaccination rate. Air travel to and from Israel is subject to entry and outbound clearances. All passengers arriving in Israel must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result to airline staff. Those returning from abroad are required to quarantine for 10-14 days. Rules and regulations might change at a short notice.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs urges to avoid all travel to the Brazil, India and South Africa in accordance with the recommendation of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. For all other countries, the Foreign Ministry’s general travel advice due to the COVID-19 pandemic is to avoid all but essential travel.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs urges to avoid all travel to the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa in accordance with the recommendation of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. For all other countries, the Foreign Ministry’s general travel advice due to the COVID-19 pandemic is to avoid all but essential travel.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has decided that the suspension of direct passenger flights from the UK, Ireland and South Africa to Finland be continued until 25 January 2021. Due to the decision, many travellers find that returning to Finland is even more difficult than before or may be prevented altogether.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has decided to suspend air passenger flights from the UK to Finland for two weeks from 21 December 2020 until 4 January 2021. Due to the decision, many travellers’ return to Finland will be difficult or prevented altogether.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to influence the entry permit services of the Finnish diplomatic missions abroad. All missions are not able to provide these services in the same way and to the same extent as in normal circumstances before the pandemic. The missions have been able to serve customers in questions related to entry matters in the countries where this has been possible taking into account health security and local official regulations. In this fall, the missions have been reopening their services as far as possible, and currently entry services are provided in most countries at least to a limited extent.

According to the Government decision made in September, restrictions on entry may be lifted for traffic between Finland and those EU and Schengen countries and the counties on the green list specified by the Council of the EU where the incidence of COVID-19 has not exceeded 25 new cases per 100,000 persons in the previous 14 days. The Government assesses the situation in different countries once a week. This news article will be updated with changes to the guidance and restrictions.

On 11 September, the Government adopted a decision on restrictions on border traffic, which will enter into force on 19 September. Restrictions on entry will be lifted for traffic between Finland and Cyprus, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Poland and Sweden, as well as for residents of Australia, Canada and Japan who are travelling from their home country to Finland. Restrictions on entry into the country will be reintroduced between Finland and Hungary and Italy.

Common questions and answers about how the coronavirus affects travel.