QT31415

Per the Delta site, just updated - Based on the latest update from the Italian government, you can now enter Italy quarantine-free by presenting one of the following documents for entry:

• Certificate of vaccination – please be sure to bring your CDC-issued vaccination card or EU Green Certificate. Keep in mind you must be fully vaccinated, meaning you have had your last vaccine dose at least 14 days before your departure, or
• A negative Antigen, PCR, or Molecular COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 48 hours of arrival in Italy from a test provider of your choice. For your convenience, please note that through June 30th we will have testing facilities available in Atlanta (ATL) and New York (JFK) airports if you need a test before departure, or
• Certificate of Recovery from COVID dated no more than 6 months before arrival to Italy

Great news! But does this apply to any US citizen from any port of entry? For example, if I fly SEA-LHR-FCO with the standard airside layover of a couple of hours, do I still have to quarantine for 5 days? Trying to avoid the Covid-tested flight mess.

13901

Do check COVID-19 QUESTIONARIO (viaggiaresicuri.it) in a little while, they're changing the contents right now and it should be back up and running tomorrow I think.

The website is managed by the ministry of foreign affairs of Italy so it's as close to the horse's mouth as it can (though calling Di Maio a horse is a bit of an insult to the equine world).

13901

Viaggiaresicuri.it's questionnaire is still being changed. However, other pages of the website have changed. this is what's written, in Italian, with a quick-and-dirty translation from me:

The bolding bit is key: it says that anyone who have spent time, or merely transited, through the UK within 2 weeks of arriving into Italy must have a negative test produced 48hr prior to entering Italy, must spend 5 days in self-isolation after having informed the local health authorities in Italy and must undertake another test at the end of the 5 days of self-isolation.

Viaggiare Sicuri

There are some exceptions but none apply to somebody who transfers through the UK as a passenger. It goes beyond that, to the point that you can enter Italy for work reasons from India but you cannot at all avoid quarantine from the UK.

Viaggiare Sicuri

Bottom line: you can enter Italy as a vaccinated traveller and I do recommend you check the questionnaire I linked in the previous post (it's also in English) but you should avoid transferring through LHR. Go through another EU hub, fly direct, transfer through the US and get on a direct flight from the US to Italy... due to the Delta variant the UK is a bit off-limits right now it seems.

this appears to be valid regardless of your vaccination status.

JMN57

Of course, this gets announced right after I locked in a PHL-LHR-MXP return (trip interrupted April due to Covid). Our flights are late August so there's a chance but the safest way would be to change to JFK-MXP if AA will allow it.

13901

In this day and age I'd really go for direct flights indeed. The order is valid up until July 30th but it's really impossible to know what the situation will be by then. And Speranza has made a habit of pushing out orders on a Friday which will be valid from Monday.

stephem

That explains why all the AA/BA routings from US through LHR to Italy are so easy to find ;-). Well, thankfully we have some tix routing from US thru FRA that should work and we will just put the LHR ones aside for use in the future. Now just crossing fingers we can get into BUD in late August for the exBUD tickets we have…

olouie

Considering going from the US to Spain first for a few days and then to Italy. I wonder if vaccination card is enough to do that without testing.

JMN57

FYI - called AA and got our itinerary switch from PHL-LHR-MXP to JFK-MXP (199) on the same day. They did it (YMMV depending on ticket) and I even got some $ back.

Socastee

FYI- if you’re traveling with kids 6 years and older they still need a COVID test....

Joe McGarey

Does anyone have anymore information / experience on the new Italian requirement of UK arrivals to self-isolate for 5 days? I have looked around and cannot find any official advice on when the 5 day period starts and officially ends, requirements of the release test on day 5 (does it need to be a local test for example? or can I just take an LFD with me), what kind of accommodation is suitable for the isolation period. I am potentially overthinking it, but just want to ensure I follow what will be required of me, thanks for any insight!

13901

The rule is characteristically not well explained (which is on par with the one that was introduced when the Kent variant appeared). Right now - annoyingly viaggiaresicuri's questionnaire is still offline - the only source I can find is in Italian and reads as follow (rough translation to follow):

Viaggiare Sicuri

What it says is, leaving all the legalese preamble at the top:

1. If you entered or transited through the UK in the 14 days prior to coming to Italy you will need:
   1. an antigen or PCR test done at least 48hrs before entering Italy. test must be negative
   2. Five days' of self isolation at your domicile as well as informing the local health authorities of your arrival in country
   3. at the end of these 5 days, another test
   4. (what it doesn't say, but goes without saying, is that you'll need to have filled in the EU PLF)

Now, the rule doesn't say when the 5 days start but I'd err on the side of caution and consider arrival day as day zero.
With regards to testing, I don't think your LFD provided by the UK government is going to cut it. You'll need to get in touch with the local health authority (ASL, ULSS, it really depends), inform them of your arrival and book a test through them / get directions to, say, a drive-thru test or whatever. This is a system that is thought for Italian residents or anyway people who know the place. for instance it's highly likely that local authorities won't speak English and might not have an online service.

For instance, the local health authorities of the Padua province (ULSS 6 Euganea) have created this website and this form for those who, and the language here is quite key, are "returning" from the UK. The message between the line is that tourism isn't considered.

If you know where you're going I can give you a hand; otherwise my suggestion would be either to postpone your trip to Italy (this order lasts until July 30th, it might be revoked on the following Monday) or, frankly, go elsewhere if you can. Then of course there's the last option of ignoring the rule but... it's not something I'd recommend doing. In 99% of cases it might all be fine and dandy but there's that 1% where it isn't. Say for instance you get stopped by a Carabinieri checkpoint looking for drink-drivers. You might be stone-cold sober but if you're meant to be self isolating and you're not... you're still somebody who can be fined and they can hit their target of people to fine.

Joe McGarey

Thank you 13901 for the detailed info! Honestly more helpful than anything I've read online across official channels.

Totally agree with you, if I could I would postpone the trip, (un)fortunately I have a wedding that I am meant to be attending. The process as you describe is what I expected and I imagine designed as a deterrent to UK visitors rather something non-residents can simply follow. I am planning on getting an Airbnb in Milan for the 5 day period assuming this is allowed. I assume Lombardia would be the health authority.. from what I can see on the ministry of health website, they seem to link you to arrivals testing at Malpensa airport for whatever reason (https://www.salute.gov.it/portale/nu...rus&menu=vuoto). Given the vagueness of the process, I was thinking I would make best intentions of calling the health authority and seeing how it goes, my Italian is basic at best so I imagine I won't get far. I was hoping a Qured test or something along those lines would be sufficient for the 'day 5' test.. but I may go to Malpensa and get a test there and see if that suffices. Any advice / insight you have is much appreciated!

13901

Hi Joe

The local health authority is ATS Milan, which hasn't quite woken up to the fact that there's this new requirement for the UK. It might take them a while to do. To be honest with you, it's a bit of a headache: I've done some digging around and it feels all geared up towards Italian residents returning home, with an Italian "codice fiscale" (basically it's the NI number and NHS number all into one).

So, as far as I can understand it this is what ATS Milan is asking:

1. fill in a form here: RIENTRI DALL'ESTERO IN ITALIA - CHE FARE? (ats-milano.it) , although it's in Italian only (I can translate if I've got a bit of time - the link to the specific test is here: ATS MILANO Cittą Metropolitana - Emergenza Coronavirus (ats-milano.it)
2. After five days, you should be able to get a test, for free I think, here: LinkClick.aspx (ats-milano.it)

The test ought to be free.

silly_stitcher

Looks like the questionnaire has been updated: https://infocovid.viaggiaresicuri.it/index_en.html

dhuey

Thanks for posting this. Am I (J&J vaccine on 1 April) reading this correctly that for my 8 July trip -- San Francisco>Paris CDG>Venice -- I will not need a negative test for entry?