Covid-19 Travel Restrictions

[ladislav]

The Philippines is closed so is Thailand and VN. Cambodia has a $3000 deposit and god help you if you test covid+. They'll drag you into some hospital to be treated and probably hit you with a huge bill.
Mexico and Brazil are open, so is Honduras. Ukraine is a 14 day quarantine if you don't want to be tested and no quarantine if you do.
What else do you know?

[gsjackson]

Turkey -- open, no test required, but face mask regime is oppressive: you have to wear it outside if people are around.
Serbia -- was completely open, but now requires a test, which costs $145 if taken there.
North Macedonia -- open, no test, pictures of Skopje show a lot of people outdoors wearing masks.
UK -- open, but 14-day quarantine required (the CDC, by the way, has dropped the 14-day quarantine recommendation).
Georgia and Romania -- closed to Americans, no word on when they will open.
Croatia -- open, requires a test
Bosnia -- closed
Bulgaria -- closed, at least through today (Aug. 31). Don't know what's supposed to happen tomorrow.
Slovenia -- closed

The above information applies to Americans, may not to residents of other countries.

Edit: The State Dept made the situation in Serbia clearer. It's only if Americans are entering from four particular countries that a test is required. So Serbia is back on as my next destination, though now it's not going to be until the end of September. The face mask regime isn't awful there -- most don't wear them outside. And the people rose up in their thousands to strike down a curfew about to be imposed back in July.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

Turkey -- open, no test required, but face mask regime is oppressive: you have to wear it outside if people are around.
Serbia -- was completely open, but now requires a test, which costs $145 if taken there.
North Macedonia -- open, no test, pictures of Skopje show a lot of people outdoors wearing masks.
UK -- open, but 14-day quarantine required (the CDC, by the way, has dropped the 14-day quarantine recommendation).
Georgia and Romania -- closed to Americans, no word on when they will open.
Croatia -- open, requires a test
Bosnia -- closed
Bulgaria -- closed, at least through today (Aug. 31). Don't know what's supposed to happen tomorrow.
Slovenia -- closed

The above information applies to Americans, may not to residents of other countries.

Edit: The State Dept made the situation in Serbia clearer. It's only if Americans are entering from four particular countries that a test is required. So Serbia is back on as my next destination, though now it's not going to be until the end of September. The face mask regime isn't awful there -- most don't wear them outside. And the people rose up in their thousands to strike down a curfew about to be imposed back in July.

Thanks for the good info.

The word I have been getting in the field is that the EU "Ban" on Americans is not a ban at all. It is just a recommended set of guidelines for EU member states to enforce. Some states like Croatia are outright ignoring the guidelines and others are enforcing it very leniently.

The press has been purposefully misleading Americans to think that they are banned from the EU countries at the moment. That is just election year malarkey.

I am still holding off on travel until I won't have to worry about tests and medical documentation, but lots of Americans have been still traveling about in Europe.

[gsjackson]

Interesting about the EU. I should add about Croatia that several travel vlogs from there -- by Gabriel Traveler -- show virtually no masks or social distancing. It looks like normal life, including the nightlife. And Croatia is a stunningly beautiful country. But you need a test to get in.

[Winston]

New global map of which countries are closed, open or partially open right now. This one is better than the one above.

https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions

Click on each country on the map for more detailed info about restrictions and who may or may not enter.

Btw it looks like England and Belarus are open too.

[gsjackson]

I entered Serbia with no problem a couple days ago after an overnight stop in London. UK passport control is usually the biggest pain in the ass, but there don't appear to be any people working there right now at Heathrow. You have to fill out a form online before going, and when you arrive your passport is scanned and you're let in. Same when you leave. That's the drill when you're in transit. Don't know how it works and how the 14-day quarantine is enforced if you intend to stay. Maybe you have to go through people in that case.

If things stay as they are now, I'll go next door to North Macedonia, which is also open, when my 90 days in Serbia is up. Croatia's a nice option, but you have to take a test there to get in.

Flying internationally right now is better than usual despite the diaper requirement, because you've got the plane to yourself. My flight from Chicago to Copenhagen was about 15 percent full.

[Gali]

I am looking for a flight to Istanbul. Qatar Airways wants covid test and has a layover in Katar.

Philippine Airlines flights are done now from Turkish Airlines. Weird.

Btw. Turkish Airways flights went from 600 dollar to 1000 dollar yesterday.

Gulf Air has a layover in Bahrain. I chatted with their Fb and they said no covid test necessary. I try to confirm this info.

Sorry did not want to bore you guys this is part of abroad living I guess.

[Ruamtow]

I am so tired of all this covid stuff...

[Winston]

Does anyone know when these travel restrictions will end? Every scam has to end at some point. Even the phony war on terror did. Even the phony cold war eventually ended. Come on.

Btw, if anyone is wondering where they can travel to now and what the restrictions are, here is the updated map. Click on each country for more info and requirements. Make sure to select your country of origin too.

https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions

It looks like only Mexico and Colombia are totally open without restrictions.

Maybe we can do a HA meetup in Mexico, like @fschmidt and a few others did last time.

[Winston]

Good news. If u are in a green country u can go to Philippines now. See the update below from Philippines airlines. If you are vaccinated then no quarantine is required. If not u will be quarantined 6 days only. If you are not in one of the green countries maybe you can fly to one first? Taiwan is on the green list so i can go now.

https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/p ... TravelToPH

[publicduende]

Good news. If u are in a green country u can go to Philippines now. See the update below from Philippines airlines. If you are vaccinated then no quarantine is required. If not u will be quarantined 6 days only. If you are not in one of the green countries maybe you can fly to one first? Taiwan is on the green list so i can go now.

https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/p ... TravelToPH

Not entirely correct, @Winston. Foreigners can only enter the Philippines if they already have a resident visa (retiree visa, or spouse visa) or, special case, if the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) "endorses" (justifies) their entry. This is usually the case if the foreigner is unmarried to a Filipina but has a child in the Philippines.

So this is your case, Winston, you have Angelo and you won't have any trouble coming in.

Those without a Visa, who used to be able to get a tourist visa stamp at the airport, are still banned.

[Winston]

Are you sure @publicduende? Alex told me his Italian friends got into the Philippines from Taiwan. This is a new law. Taiwan is now on the green list so they can enter Philippines. Can you double check? I think this new policy went into effect a few days ago. Did you read the link above from Philippines Airlines?

I can get a visa too on my US passport, but I would have to go to the PH embassy in Taipei and make a trip all the way there.

See here again:

https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/p ... TravelToPH

Notice the green bar that says green list. Under that it says this:

Vaccinated:

For Foreigners:
⦁ Negative RT-PCR taken within 72 hours prior departure
⦁ No facility-based quarantine
⦁ No on-arrival swabbing
⦁ Self-monitoring until the 14th day from arrival

Unvaccinated:

6 Days Facility Quarantine

5th day swab

Since Taiwan is on the green list, that means any passenger from Taiwan can enter right? See the green list here:

https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/c ... ingintheph

Green List

American Samoa, Bhutan, Chad, China (mainland), Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Federated States of Micronesia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), India, Indonesia, Japan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, South Africa, Sudan, Taiwan, Togo, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Zambia, Zimbabwe

[Winston]

Also here are the hotels available for quarantine in Manila nd Clark. It looks like the cheapest one in Manila is Oxford Suites at 2300p a night.

https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/p ... tineHotels

https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/p ... tineHotels

[Winston]

Btw @publicduende can you come visit me in Manila after my quarantine? Or I come and visit you? Are you near Makati still? What is the link to that Expat meetup group again? Can you post it again? Where is hypermak? Can I meet him too?

[publicduende]

Are you sure @publicduende? Alex told me his Italian friends got into the Philippines from Taiwan. This is a new law. Taiwan is now on the green list so they can enter Philippines. Can you double check? I think this new policy went into effect a few days ago. Did you read the link above from Philippines Airlines?

I can get a visa too on my US passport, but I would have to go to the PH embassy in Taipei and make a trip all the way there.

That's right @Winston. if you look at the Philippine Airlines list

1. Filipino Nationals

2. Former Filipinos, Dual Citizens

3. Foreign nationals with valid and existing visas at the time -of entry -including SRRV (eff 05 June 2021): DFA endorsement not required

4. Foreign nationals allowed entry under Balikbayan Program (RA6768), provided they are nationals from NON-VISA required countries under EO408:
a. Former Filipino citizens, together with their foreign spouses and children, regardless of age, who are travelling with them.
b. Filipino citizens' spouses and children, regardless of age, who are travelling with them.
Note: For Foreign nationals not under EO 408, refer to #3

5. Foreign nationals with valid and existing 9(a) visa or Temporary Visitors Visa (TVV)

6. Visiting Forces Agreement - Military personnel joining the "Balikatan Exercise" (Passport and Visa Not Required)

it does not mention foreigners without a valid pre-existing Visa (SRRV, which is a retiree Visa, or 13a spouse Visa). Basically the easy-peasy system of Visa on arrival at the airport is suspended.

To get a Visa before arrival, as you say, you need to go to the Philippine embassy and get a DFA endorsement. The PAL list only mentions having a child in the Philippines as a reason, which is also what I heard. Maybe DFA will give you an endorsement for other fairly legit reasons, perhaps if you own a property (a condo) there and need to attend to it, or if you are running a business and waiting for your Business/entrepreneur visa.