Immigration Updates – 15th of April

General Updates

Italy

The Italian authorities have announced that immigration offices will operate at reduced capacity from 22 April to 10 May 2022, as a new website is launched.

During this period, employers will not be able to submit work permit applications and individuals will not be able to submit applications for family clearance. Immigration offices may not be fully operational, and in-country formalities, such as contracts of stay, may be delayed.

COVID-19 Updates

Bulgaria

• Effective 13 April 2022, persons arriving from Czechia, Egypt, Hungary, Israel, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Turkey are no longer required to present proof of COVID-19 status.
• All persons arriving from abroad are required to present one of the following proofs of COVID-19 status:
  • a valid EU digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate,
  • a valid EU digital COVID-19 recovery certificate,
  • a valid EU digital COVID certificate for conducted testing (a document showing a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test conducted up to 72 hours before entry into the country or a negative result from a rapid antigen test conducted up to 48 hours before entry into the country from the date of sampling entered in the document),
  • a similar or an equivalent document containing the same data as the EU digital COVID certificate (for vaccination/recovery/testing)
• NOTE: Persons who do not present any of the documents mentioned above are permitted entry and placed under quarantine for 10 days at home or other accommodation. Quarantine may be ended early with a negative result of a PCR test, or a rapid antigen test of those listed in Annex № 1, carried out at least 72 hours after arrival.
• Children up to the age of 12 years and people in transit are exempt from the requirement to present proof of COVID-19 status.

Czechia

• Effective 9 April 2022, all COVID-19 entry restrictions have been lifted.

Greece

• Effective 2 May 2022, COVID entry restrictions will be temporarily suspended:
  • No proof of vaccination will be required to enter Greece by land, sea, or air;
  • No testing requirements for travellers, regardless of vaccination status;
  • All internal vaccine passport requirements will be scrapped for fully vaccinated as well as unvaccinated travellers. This means that travellers and locals alike will not have to show any negative test result, recovery certificate, or proof of vaccination in order to enter public indoor and outdoor spaces.