Can I come to Sweden if I've been fully vaccinated against Covid-19?
As vaccination programmes progress around the world, those who have received protection against Covid-19 may be wondering about their travel options.
Question: I have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and received a certificate to prove this. Can I come to Sweden now?
The short answer is no, proof of vaccination in itself isn't currently a factor in whether you are allowed to enter Sweden.
Even if you are vaccinated, you are still covered by the travel restrictions for those coming from EU and non-EU countries.
At the time of writing, this means that if you are travelling from another EU/EEA country, you can enter Sweden for any purpose, so long as you can show a negative coronavirus test that is less than 48 hours old.
If you are travelling from outside the EU, you can only enter Sweden if you show a negative coronavirus test no older than 48 hours, and also fall into a category exempt from the entry ban: that includes Swedish citizens or residents, or people who meet one of a long list of exceptions, for example travel for urgent family reasons.
There are some exemptions to the requirement to show a negative coronavirus test, including for Swedish citizens and residents, but proof of vaccination is not one of them. And everyone arriving in Sweden is expected to isolate and avoid close contact with others for at least seven days on arrival.
This will probably change before the summer, with several plans for 'vaccine passes' underway which would allow vaccinated people to travel more easily.
The European Union is also working on developing a common framework for "digital certificates" among member states, with the bloc's tourism chief announcing on Sunday that the certificates should be available within "two to three months".
In the US meanwhile, President Joe Biden in January ordered agencies to start looking at developing an international vaccine certificate.
As more and more countries issue digital or physical certificates showing vaccination, antibodies or other immunity, Sweden is likely to include that in its entry requirement, probably in concert with other countries in the European Union.
This article was written in response to questions from members of The Local. If you have any questions about Sweden's Covid-19 rules, email [email protected] and we will do our best to answer if we can.
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Question: I have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and received a certificate to prove this. Can I come to Sweden now?
The short answer is no, proof of vaccination in itself isn't currently a factor in whether you are allowed to enter Sweden.
Even if you are vaccinated, you are still covered by the travel restrictions for those coming from EU and non-EU countries.
At the time of writing, this means that if you are travelling from another EU/EEA country, you can enter Sweden for any purpose, so long as you can show a negative coronavirus test that is less than 48 hours old.
If you are travelling from outside the EU, you can only enter Sweden if you show a negative coronavirus test no older than 48 hours, and also fall into a category exempt from the entry ban: that includes Swedish citizens or residents, or people who meet one of a long list of exceptions, for example travel for urgent family reasons.
There are some exemptions to the requirement to show a negative coronavirus test, including for Swedish citizens and residents, but proof of vaccination is not one of them. And everyone arriving in Sweden is expected to isolate and avoid close contact with others for at least seven days on arrival.
This will probably change before the summer, with several plans for 'vaccine passes' underway which would allow vaccinated people to travel more easily.
The European Union is also working on developing a common framework for "digital certificates" among member states, with the bloc's tourism chief announcing on Sunday that the certificates should be available within "two to three months".
In the US meanwhile, President Joe Biden in January ordered agencies to start looking at developing an international vaccine certificate.
As more and more countries issue digital or physical certificates showing vaccination, antibodies or other immunity, Sweden is likely to include that in its entry requirement, probably in concert with other countries in the European Union.
This article was written in response to questions from members of The Local. If you have any questions about Sweden's Covid-19 rules, email [email protected] and we will do our best to answer if we can.
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