Sweden extends ban on travel from outside the EU
Sweden on Thursday announced that an entry ban would apply to travel from non-EU/EEA countries until at least May 31st, but several groups are exempt.
"The reason for extending the general travel ban is to continue to prevent coronavirus from spreading more widely so that more people in our country become ill," Sweden's interior minister Mikael Damberg said.
The ban was previously set to expire on March 31st, but has now been extended until at least May 31st. It may be further extended beyond this date.
This means that only travellers who fall into an exempted category can enter Sweden from a non-EU/EEA country.
As of March 31st, the UK will also be covered by the same entry ban as other non-EU countries, having previously been subject to tighter restrictions.
People exempt from the non-EU entry ban include for example citizens or residents of Sweden, EU/EEA countries (as well as Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, and Vatican City), and people travelling for urgent family reasons.
Several other countries are exempt from the ban. As of March 24th, you can travel to Sweden from the following countries regardless of the purpose of travel, including to visit family or friends:
Australia
New Zealand
Rwanda
Singapore
South Korea
Thailand
The above list is regularly updated, and several countries that were previously on the list have been removed.
You can find an English-language explanation of the exemptions from the Swedish police.
As well as proving that they belong to one of the exempt categories, in order to enter Sweden most travellers need to show a negative Covid-19 test no older than 48 hours. A separate set of exemptions apply to the test requirement, including for Swedish citizens and residents.
All travellers arriving in Sweden, including those exempt from the entry ban and/or negative test requirement are expected to get tested as soon as possible after arriving if they did not get tested before travel, and to get tested on the fifth day after arriving.
All arriving travellers should also isolate for seven days on arrival regardless of their test results, which means avoiding any close contact with other people, including avoiding going to work, school, shops or supermarkets.
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"The reason for extending the general travel ban is to continue to prevent coronavirus from spreading more widely so that more people in our country become ill," Sweden's interior minister Mikael Damberg said.
The ban was previously set to expire on March 31st, but has now been extended until at least May 31st. It may be further extended beyond this date.
This means that only travellers who fall into an exempted category can enter Sweden from a non-EU/EEA country.
As of March 31st, the UK will also be covered by the same entry ban as other non-EU countries, having previously been subject to tighter restrictions.
People exempt from the non-EU entry ban include for example citizens or residents of Sweden, EU/EEA countries (as well as Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, and Vatican City), and people travelling for urgent family reasons.
Several other countries are exempt from the ban. As of March 24th, you can travel to Sweden from the following countries regardless of the purpose of travel, including to visit family or friends:
Australia
New Zealand
Rwanda
Singapore
South Korea
Thailand
The above list is regularly updated, and several countries that were previously on the list have been removed.
You can find an English-language explanation of the exemptions from the Swedish police.
As well as proving that they belong to one of the exempt categories, in order to enter Sweden most travellers need to show a negative Covid-19 test no older than 48 hours. A separate set of exemptions apply to the test requirement, including for Swedish citizens and residents.
All travellers arriving in Sweden, including those exempt from the entry ban and/or negative test requirement are expected to get tested as soon as possible after arriving if they did not get tested before travel, and to get tested on the fifth day after arriving.
All arriving travellers should also isolate for seven days on arrival regardless of their test results, which means avoiding any close contact with other people, including avoiding going to work, school, shops or supermarkets.
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