Austria officially reopened its borders for tourism in June 2020. Since then, Austria travel restrictions have been changing rapidly, leaving travelers wondering when these restrictions will be fully lifted. Although Austria has done a great job in controlling the surge of cases compared to other European countries, authorities are cautious when it comes to allowing the entry of visitors.
The entry restrictions for Austria are changing frequently, depending on the COVID-19 situation. If you plan on visiting Austria soon, here’s the latest on the entry requirements and restrictions that you should be aware of.
Who Can Visit Austria?
On June 10, 2021, Austrian authorities have lifted the quarantine requirements for travelers coming from several countries. Citizens of countries that are part of the 27-nation-bloc, including Norway, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, and Iceland, can travel to Austria without quarantine requirements. Travelers coming from some third countries are also allowed to enter with no need to quarantine.
So, if you came from any of these countries below, then you are free to enter Austria as a tourist and you don’t have to undergo quarantine upon entry.
- Albania
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macau
- Malta
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- United States of America
- Vietnam
Requirements For Entry Into Austria
Citizens and residents of the countries listed above are welcome to enter Austria as tourists. However, there are certain requirements that every traveler must fulfill before they can be allowed entry.
To be allowed entry, travelers must be able to present any of the following documents:
Negative COVID-19 Test Results
The Covid-19 test should be taken through a PCR test at least 72 hours before departure. When using antigen, the test should not be later than 48 hours.
In order for the test certificate to be valid, it should be issued by an authorized medical authority. Self-tests will only be considered valid if the result has been registered to an official data processing system before taking the trip to Austria. Kids below 12 years old are not required to present a Covid-19 test result.
Proof of Vaccination
For travelers who have been vaccinated, they can show proof of vaccination to be allowed entry into Austria. However, the vaccine should be recognized by the European Medicines Agency, such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Moderna, and Sinopharm. Recently, Austrian authorities have approved the CoviShield vaccine which was manufactured from the Serum Institute of India, expanding the list of vaccines that Austrian authorities will recognize.
It should already be 22 days since the second dose of the vaccine has been received in order for the traveler to be allowed entry into Austria.
Proof of Recovery From COVID-19
Travelers who have recovered from the Covid-19 virus and can show proof are also allowed to enter the country with no need to submit a test or show proof of vaccination. However, it should already be 180 days since the traveler has received a positive diagnosis and they must be able to show documents to prove this.
Who Cannot Visit Austria as Tourists
Travelers coming from virus variant areas are banned from entering Austria for non-essential travel including tourism. The only time they can enter Austria is for essential reasons, such as medical emergencies and business travel.
So if you came from any of the countries below, you can only enter Austria if your visit is essential. If approved for entry, travelers from these countries are required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken at least 72 hours before departure. Upon arrival, they have to undergo a 10-day quarantine with a chance to end it earlier if they test negative for the virus on their 5th day in isolation.
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Eswatini
- India
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Russia
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Travelers from Other Countries
For travelers who came from countries that are not on any of the lists above, they can enter Austria as tourists but they have to adhere to certain requirements. The requirements will depend on what document they can present.
Those who will show proof of full vaccination do not need to self-isolate upon entry into Austria and don’t need to register for pre-travel clearance.
Those who will submit a negative Covid-19 test result or proof of past infection must register online for pre-travel clearance. Upon arrival in Austria, they need to self-isolate for 10 days with an option to end it early if they test negative for the virus after 5 days in isolation.
Children who are 17 years old and below don’t need to adhere to the quarantine requirements if they travel with fully vaccinated parents. However, kids aged 12 to 17 have to submit a negative Covid-19 test, proof of past infection, or proof of vaccination.
Check the latest travel restrictions of Austria on our live map.
Sources: Austria Info | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | U.S. Embassy in Austria
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