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Sweden extends ban on travel from non-EU countries

The Local Sweden
The Local Sweden - [email protected]
Sweden extends ban on travel from non-EU countries
Passengers on a flight from Stockholm's Arlanda airport. File photo: Stina Stjernqvist/TT

Sweden has extended a ban on entry from outside the EU, just over a week before it was set to run out. Exemptions are in place however for people travelling from certain countries as well as those who meet specific criteria.

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Sweden has had the entry ban in place since mid-March, in line with the EU's coronavirus recommendations, but has updated it several times. On Thursday the government again extended it to apply until December 22nd, after it was previously due to expire on October 31st.

Certain exemptions to the ban all remain in place. Those include people from the following countries, regardless of their purpose of travel (which means anyone, including tourists, from those countries can travel to Sweden):

  • EU/EEA, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican City
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Georgia
  • Japan
  • New Zealand
  • Rwanda
  • South Korea
  • Thailand
  • Tunisia
  • Uruguay

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Exemptions also apply to people moving to live in Sweden, working in certain key jobs, or travelling for urgent family reasons, regardless of which country they are resident of or travelling from. You can read more about the exemptions (in English) from the Swedish police here, and more detail on the entry ban from the Swedish government (in Swedish) here.

Sweden does not have any quarantine rules in place for foreign visitors and no proof of a negative coronavirus test is required. However, everyone is expected to follow coronavirus health and safety guidelines, such as social distancing and avoiding public transport, especially at busy times.

Border control remains a national competence and is not decided at EU level, so its decisions are not legally binding for member states, but Sweden generally follows the European Council's recommendations.

The above rules only apply to travel to Sweden, not from. 

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Anonymous 2020/10/23 15:31
Hi Dominik, the source is the Swedish government which is linked to in the text. I see the same information at the link you posted, under Temporary entry ban to Sweden: "The entry ban does not apply to citizens and their families from EU/EEA countries and Switzerland".<br />Note that this ban relates to travel to Sweden, not travel from Sweden. I hope that helps.

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