Update: Travel from the United States to Austria
As a result of the increased spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant in the United States, Austria recently removed the US from its list of countries with low epidemiological risk. Here is an update of what this means for travelers from the United States coming to Austria.
Travelers from the U.S. who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or recently recovered will continue to be admitted to Austria without being subject to mandatory quarantine regardless of their reason for travel. / Picture: © American and Austrian crossed flags by Vindobona
Due to the increased spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, the United States of America was recently removed from Austria’s list of countries with low epidemiological risk. Here is what that means for people trying to travel from the United States to Austria.
Vaccinated/Recovered
Travelers from the U.S. who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will continue to be admitted to Austria without being subject to mandatory quarantine regardless of their reason for travel.
The same applies to those who have a confirmation that they have recovered from COVID-19 in the last 180 days issued by a medical professional or medical authority.
The proof of vaccination/recovery must be presented upon entry, but pre-travel-registration is not required for these travelers.
The validity of vaccinations begins on the day one receives their second dose of a two-dose vaccine or 22 days after one receives the single-dose vaccine. Two-dose vaccinations are then valid for 360 days after receipt of the second dose, and single-dose vaccinations are valid for 270 days. Booster doses received at least 120 days after the second dose of the two-dose or the lone dose of a single dose vaccine extend the validity for another 360 days.
Accepted vaccines include: BioNtech/Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, or Sinovac, Johnson&Johnson/Janssen
Unvaccinated
Travelers arriving from the U.S. who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 will continue to be allowed to enter Austria. However, they must pre-register and present a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival.
For PCR tests, the test can be no older than 72 hours, and, for rapid/antigen tests, the test can be no older than 48 hours.
Unvaccinated travelers must also observe 10 days of mandatory quarantine.
Exceptions
Some groups of people arriving from the U.S. may enter Austria without being subject to mandatory quarantine or pre-travel-registration regardless of their vaccination status.
These groups include business travelers, holders of an ID card pursuant to §5 of the International Headquarters Act, persons subject to a compulsory duty imposed by a court or public authority by Austria, persons entering Austria for unexpected particular considerable reasons within the family or commuters entering Austria regularly (at least once a month), and minors between the age of 12 and 18 accompanied by a person who is in possession of a valid certificate of vaccination or recovery.
A negative COVID-19 test must be presented upon entry. For PCR tests, the test can be no older than 72 hours, and for rapid/antigen tests, the test can be no older than 48 hours.
Transit
Transit passengers are not subject to COVID-19 entry restrictions or mandatory quarantine.
These changes in the entry requirements for US travelers to Austria come as the US has announced that it will soon open its borders to more travelers from Europe, as was previously reported by Vindobona.
Due to the frequent changes to COVID-19 regulations and requirements, it is important to check the government website of the country one plans to travel to before making plans.