Important vaccine requirements for ALL European cruise ports if arriving from eg. USA

[TrumpyNor]

If you have a cruise in Europe booked in the next few months, please note that if you arrive from abroad your covid vaccination is only valid for 270 days. If it is longer since your vaccination, then you need a booster shot do be able to enter any EU country (currently no expiry date on the booster). OR have a covid test done within 2-3 days before arrival (and not only before arriving at your embarkation port, but also for arrival in all ports on the cruise itinerary). This should be no problem for arriving from eg. USA to Spain or Italy to start your cruise, if that is where your cruise starts. BUT without a booster shot (and your last vaccine done more than 270 days before), then you are practically denied to enter any other port on your itinerary, as you will not be able to show proof of repeated tests done throughout your cruise. And therefore will be denied to leave the ship. And if the cruise end in another country (like many cruises that start in Spain and ends in Italy or vice versa), then you (and the cruise line) has a huge problem.

 

Here are a copy of the "entry-rules" for Italy:

Document checklist

Travellers can enter Italy without being subject to quarantine if they provide all the following documents:

1. Fill in the EU Digital Passenger Locator Form before travelling
    
2. Proof of full vaccination.
   Accepted vaccines: vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA): Comirnaty (BioNTech and Pfizer), Nuvaxovid (Novavax), Spikevax (Moderna), Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), COVID19 vaccine Janssen; vaccines considered equivalent in Italy: Covishield, Fiocruz, R-Covi.
   Validity: 270 days (9 months) after the primary vaccination series is completed. Vaccination certificates with booster doses are valid until further notice.
   Note: to access public places in Italy, certificates with a full primary vaccination series are valid for 6 months. Please, consult the Measures section for further details.
   
   Or
   
   Proof of recovery from COVID-19.
   Validity: 180 days (6 months) from the first positive swab.
   
   Or
   
   A negative result to a pre-departure molecular test (valid 72 hours) or to a rapid antigen test (valid 48 hours).

Travellers can provide proof of vaccination, recovery from COVID-19 or a negative test result with one of the following documents, meeting the requirements listed above:

• An 'EU Digital COVID Certificate' (EUDCC) or equivalente certificates;
• Equivalent certificates of vaccination in Italian, English, French, Spanish or German (documents in other languages must be accompanied by an official translation in Italian);
• Equivalent certificates of recovery from COVID-19 accompanied by an official translation in Italian.

 

Travellers who do not hold valid proof of vaccination, proof of recovery from COVID-19 or a negative test result must self-isolate for 5 days, at the address indicated on the Passenger Locator Form, and perform an antigen or molecular test at the end of the self-isolation period.

 

And here for Spain:

Entry rules

Citizens of non-EU and non-Schengen Associated countries can enter Spain only if they belong to one of the categories listed by the Ministry of Health.

 

Document checklist

Travellers from countries and areas considered at risk must provide all the documents listed below. The list of risk and high-risk countries is updated every 7 days (see the list valid between 4 and 6 April).

1. All travellers arriving to Spain by air or by sea, including children of any age, passengers in transit to other countries and residents in Spain returning home, must fill in a Health Control Form before departure. Travellers must provide the QR code when they board and when they arrive in Spain. Remember: a separate form must be filled in for each trip and each person.
   
   Travellers by air must fill in and sign the form electronically in the 48 hours before the flight departure, via the Spain Travel Health website or via the apps for Android or iOs.
   
   Travellers by sea must fill in and sign the form electronically on puertos.es.
   
   For travel by land, no form is required.
    
2. A valid 'EU Digital COVID Certificate' (EUDCC) or equivalent documents containing one of the following:
   
   Proof of full vaccination.
   Validity: between 14 and 270 days after the last scheduled dose of the primary vaccination series was administered. After 270 days, vaccination certificates must include a booster dose.
   Only vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) will be accepted for travellers from non-EU and non-Schengen countries. Certificates with other vaccines will also be accepted if the last dose was administered with an authorised vaccine.
   
   Or
   
   Negative result to a pre-departure molecular test (valid 72 hours) or rapid antigen test (valid 24 hours). Consult the list of rapid tests approved by the European Commission.
   
    

For information regarding specific requirements for all EU countries, here is a direct link (you just fill out the "travel plan", and as you are not residing within EU, you have to put in "rest of the world" as departure country, and then the various requirements are listed:

https://reopen.europa.eu/en

 

This is important information, as you may very well be denied boarding any cruise ship in Europe if there is more than 270 days since your last vaccine shot and you don't have a booster shot....

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by TrumpyNor

[SeaHunt]

I was surprised to see the 270 day requirement this afternoon when I helped a friend book some (non-cruise) air on Delta to Prague for next week (he's had his booster so he's OK, but that could have grounded him too!):

 

**As of February 15, 2022, the Czech government considers the validity of COVID-19 vaccinations to be nine months (270 days) from the date of the second dose. A booster shot extends the validity indefinitely.  

[Travelers56]

OP-

thank you for posting this info.

there is an easy resolution..........get your booster!

problem solved!

[cassie55]

This is actually not correct. It's all EU ports not all European ports. There's no such requirements for the UK or Iceland for example. 

[BermudaBound2014]

47 minutes ago, Travelers56 said:

OP-

thank you for posting this info.

there is an easy resolution..........get your booster!

problem solved!

 

Not going to happen. According to the CDC, as of April 1st, only 29% of Americans have decided get a booster. IMO: the likelihood that folks will rush out get a booster just to go on a cruise is miniscule, especially considering how easy other forms of travel have become.

 

This is not good for the industry as a whole, but may provide some exceptional last minute bargain pricing for the European cruises this summer.

 

 

[TrumpyNor]

57 minutes ago, cassie55 said:

This is actually not correct. It's all EU ports not all European ports. There's no such requirements for the UK or Iceland for example. 

Sorry, I see now that in the title of my post I wrote "European ports" instead of "European EU ports"... Well, not that many cruises in Europe that doesn't enter any EU port anyway - so I still believe this is important information to get out there. I read earlier today about several passengers who were denied boarding on a NCL cruise that started today in Barcelona, so obviously not everyone (and not even NCL!) knows about this being the requirements for the majority of EU countries already since February 2022. 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by TrumpyNor

[BermudaBound2014]

7 minutes ago, TrumpyNor said:

Sorry, I see now that in the title of my post I wrote "European ports" instead of "European EU ports"... Well, not that many cruises in Europe that doesn't enter any EU port anyway - so I still believe this is important information to get out there. I read earlier today about several passengers who were denied boarding on a NCL cruise that started today in Barcelona, so obviously not everyone (and not even NCL!) knows about this being the requirements for the majority of EU countries already since February 2022. 

 

 

It isn't just NCL who were caught off guard. MSC passengers were also stranded yesterday in Barcelona. 

 

 

 

[Sailing12Away]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Not going to happen. According to the CDC, as of April 1st, only 29% of Americans have decided get a booster. IMO: the likelihood that folks will rush out get a booster just to go on a cruise is miniscule, especially considering how easy other forms of travel have become.

 

That's exactly what we did... waited as long as possible before my job mandated a deadline for me to comply with so that we would be covered just in case the rules change for how long the booster is good for.

[styles27]

Even my Pfizer booster is now almost 180 days ago (10/25/2022).
My initial J&J vaccine was over a yr ago (03/09/2021.)
 

Thought we’d do another Med cruise this year but it’s just not worth the hassle of trying to figure out who would accept us with our current vaccine status. 

We’ll wait until that area of the world simplifies it a bit. 

 

[styles27]

2 hours ago, styles27 said:

Even my Pfizer booster is now almost 180 days ago (10/25/2022).
My initial J&J vaccine was over a yr ago (03/09/2021.)
 

Thought we’d do another Med cruise this year but it’s just not worth the hassle of trying to figure out who would accept us with our current vaccine status. 

We’ll wait until that area of the world simplifies it a bit. 

 

Oops should say 10/25 2021 not 2022

[geleisen]

6 hours ago, styles27 said:

Even my Pfizer booster is now almost 180 days ago (10/25/2022).
My initial J&J vaccine was over a yr ago (03/09/2021.)
 

Thought we’d do another Med cruise this year but it’s just not worth the hassle of trying to figure out who would accept us with our current vaccine status. 

We’ll wait until that area of the world simplifies it a bit. 

 

Is there any EU country that wouldn't accept you? You have your full course (the Janssen vaccine) plus your booster. The booster is not time restricted, and if it ever becomes so, it is likely to be after summer, so maybe after september or so. I wouldn't worry about summer med cruises.

[TrumpyNor]

8 hours ago, styles27 said:

Even my Pfizer booster is now almost 180 days ago (10/25/2022).
My initial J&J vaccine was over a yr ago (03/09/2021.)
 

Thought we’d do another Med cruise this year but it’s just not worth the hassle of trying to figure out who would accept us with our current vaccine status. 

We’ll wait until that area of the world simplifies it a bit. 

 

 

1 hour ago, geleisen said:

Is there any EU country that wouldn't accept you? You have your full course (the Janssen vaccine) plus your booster. The booster is not time restricted, and if it ever becomes so, it is likely to be after summer, so maybe after september or so. I wouldn't worry about summer med cruises.

 

Personally I believe that maybe this autumn there will be set a limit of one year for the booster to be valid, and that it would be necessary to have a new booster after 12 months. Of course just a guess on my side. 

Edited April 4, 2022 by TrumpyNor

[styles27]

8 hours ago, geleisen said:

Is there any EU country that wouldn't accept you? You have your full course (the Janssen vaccine) plus your booster. The booster is not time restricted, and if it ever becomes so, it is likely to be after summer, so maybe after september or so. I wouldn't worry about summer med cruises.

This is the part that makes me think we’d have a problem. If we travel in May we’ll be past the 6 months since our last shot. 
 

[pasto5]

I noticed that if the vaccination card is in a language other than Italian  it needs to be officially translated 🤷🏻‍♀️  We sail the end of June and I have no idea where I can get our cards” officially translated” ?

[yogini06]

24 minutes ago, pasto5 said:

I noticed that if the vaccination card is in a language other than Italian  it needs to be officially translated 🤷🏻‍♀️  We sail the end of June and I have no idea where I can get our cards” officially translated” ?

 

19 hours ago, TrumpyNor said:

 

Travellers can provide proof of vaccination, recovery from COVID-19 or a negative test result with one of the following documents, meeting the requirements listed above:

• An 'EU Digital COVID Certificate' (EUDCC) or equivalente certificates;
• Equivalent certificates of vaccination in Italian, English, French, Spanish or German (documents in other languages must be accompanied by an official translation in Italian);

 

 

I read that they will accept certificates in Italian, English, French or Spanish.  Other languages will require an official translation

[TheGinBoy]

We sail on Epic from Barcelona in 13 days.

 

Just had my fourth shot / second booster this weekend gone. 

 

Filled in hundreds of forms. Hopefully that's everything sorted! 

[geleisen]

1 hour ago, styles27 said:

This is the part that makes me think we’d have a problem. If we travel in May we’ll be past the 6 months since our last shot. 
 

That is referring to a certificate based solely on primary vaccination and not booster. 

https://www.italia.it/en/covid19

Here is a link and quote from a government website and it makes pretty clear there is no expiry date for boosters as of now. (Bolding mine)

'The vaccine certificate is valid up to 6 months from the completion of the primary vaccine cycle (either the first and only dose for the Janssen Pharmaceutical NV/ Johnson and Johnson or the second dose for all the others approved vaccines). If however the carrier of the certificate has received a booster or has completed the primary vaccine cycle and he or she has recovered from COVID, the certificate validity is unlimited.'
 

[jamadeliz]

How about getting back into the US?  We are doing the Greek Isles this summer.  I have 3 doses and will get a 4th before this cruise but I am concerned about having to test before getting back into the US?  Help please.  

[TrumpyNor]

2 hours ago, pasto5 said:

I noticed that if the vaccination card is in a language other than Italian  it needs to be officially translated 🤷🏻‍♀️  We sail the end of June and I have no idea where I can get our cards” officially translated” ?

• Equivalent certificates of vaccination in Italian, English, French, Spanish or German (documents in other languages must be accompanied by an official translation in Italian);

[TrumpyNor]

2 hours ago, styles27 said:

This is the part that makes me think we’d have a problem. If we travel in May we’ll be past the 6 months since our last shot. 
 

Then I advice you to get a booster shot before your cruise. If not, you may be denied boarding the cruiseship as well, as both Italy, Spain, France, Greece and several other countries around the Mediterranean require booster shots if you were fully vaccinated more than 270 days ago. When arriving to your embarkation port, you may of course have the possibility to take a covid test 48 hours before travelling and as long as that is negative you would be allowed to enter the country. But as you then would have to do a negative covid test shortly about 48 hours before arriving at every port, where would these tests be done...??? And still you would need a covid certificate of some sorts to get in to most tourist sights as well....

[styles27]

50 minutes ago, geleisen said:

That is referring to a certificate based solely on primary vaccination and not booster. 

https://www.italia.it/en/covid19

Here is a link and quote from a government website and it makes pretty clear there is no expiry date for boosters as of now. (Bolding mine)

'The vaccine certificate is valid up to 6 months from the completion of the primary vaccine cycle (either the first and only dose for the Janssen Pharmaceutical NV/ Johnson and Johnson or the second dose for all the others approved vaccines). If however the carrier of the certificate has received a booster or has completed the primary vaccine cycle and he or she has recovered from COVID, the certificate validity is unlimited.'
 

Thank you that’s the first I’m seeing that explained!

I will get another booster but would like to wait until the Fall so it gets me through the winter. 

[TrumpyNor]

If I understand correctly what I read in a different thread about people without booster shots being denied boarding on NCL in Barcelona last weekend; NCL had not known about this and was as surprised by the new rules as everyone else. Well, I just did a quick google search and it seems like the news was "out there" already in December 2021 and January 2022.

https://www.bing.com/search?FORM=U501DF&PC=U501&q=need of booster dose for cruise in europe&fbclid=IwAR3yIXlg2FswfyxiKKSnmO_o25Xjhi1LJlV1aSZvEcZjUVUQkE3Gtk1ChRc

 

And on re-open EU pages (the official EU covid pages) had an official press release on January 25th that also limits the vaccine certificates to 270 days unless booster dose.

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/01/25/covid-19-council-adopts-new-person-based-recommendation-on-free-movement-restrictions/

 

[TrumpyNor]

16 minutes ago, TrumpyNor said:

Then I advice you to get a booster shot before your cruise. If not, you may be denied boarding the cruiseship as well, as both Italy, Spain, France, Greece and several other countries around the Mediterranean require booster shots if you were fully vaccinated more than 270 days ago. When arriving to your embarkation port, you may of course have the possibility to take a covid test 48 hours before travelling and as long as that is negative you would be allowed to enter the country. But as you then would have to do a negative covid test shortly about 48 hours before arriving at every port, where would these tests be done...??? And still you would need a covid certificate of some sorts to get in to most tourist sights as well....

 

@styles27 - my reply above was as I probably misunderstood your initial post to you having only the "regular" vaccine shots and not any booster. So please disregard from the above. NO need for a second booster before your cruise.

 

5 minutes ago, styles27 said:

Thank you that’s the first I’m seeing that explained!

I will get another booster but would like to wait until the Fall so it gets me through the winter. 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by TrumpyNor

[steamboats]

6 minutes ago, TrumpyNor said:

 NCL had not known about this and was as surprised by the new rules as everyone else. Well, I just did a quick google search and it seems like the news was "out there" already in December 2021 and January 2022.

 

Exactly and it´s in effect since Feburary. And it was discussed on these boards at various locations too.

 

steamboats

[TheGinBoy]

It does seem bizarre that you need to pay for your own testing two days ahead of cruise (or three days, non-US) just for NCL to test you at embarkation port too. 

 

But hey.