Austria lifts UK travel ban

Fully vaccinated Brits can enter the country, quarantine-free

Vienna is open to Brits again (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Austria has finally lifted its blanket travel ban on UK travellers.

On 15 August, it announced that arrivals from the UK, India, Russia, Botswana, Nepal, South Africa and Zambia can enter the country for non-essential reasons.

Fully vaccinated travellers are no longer required to undergo quarantine.

The rules changed after the countries were removed from Austria’s “virus variant areas” list.

“The following countries are no longer considered virus variant areas but rather ‘other countries’: Botswana, India, Nepal, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Zambia. Fully vaccinated travellers from these countries do not need to self-isolate anymore,” reads the official statement on Austria’s Travel Portal.

Prior to this, all British travellers were banned from entering Austria for non-essential reasons.

Those arriving from the UK for specific essential purposes had to take a PCR test within 72 hours of departure and were subject to a 10-day quarantine.

The new rules allow vaccinated Brits to swerve quarantine, while unvaccinated passengers from the UK may enter Austria for any reason but are required to present a negative test or proof of recovery from Covid-19, plus self-isolate for 10 days.

Austria offers a scheme where visitors can opt to take a test on day five of quarantine and be released early if the result is negative.

Travellers must provide proof that they have been double-jabbed with any of the three vaccines administered in the UK – Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna – at least 14 days prior.

Johnson & Johnson, Sinovac, Sinopharm and Covishield vaccines are also accepted.

Austria will also accept travellers who have had two doses of two different authorised vaccines.

Austria joined the UK’s green list for international travel at the last traffic light update on 4 August.

It means arrivals from there can forgo quarantine, regardless of vaccination status.

Instead, travellers must present a negative Covid test in order to travel to the UK, and take one PCR test within two days of arriving.