Places where vaccinated people can travel: See the updated list

The list of places that’s welcoming vaccinated people is growing by the week.

Proof of vaccines is easing travel restrictions to some places, and is the only way travelers can gain entrance to others.

Yet from health forms to testing protocols, travel remains complicated even for the immunized. Rules differ from one country to the next. Some places reject certain types of vaccines, while others still require a quarantine period — often shortened.

Travelers almost always have to be fully vaccinated — which is commonly defined as two weeks following the last required dose. However, several places allow travel the same day as a second shot.  

So travelers should read the fine print before booking a trip abroad, which includes understanding Covid-19 protocols that may be stricter than what’s required at home.  

A study by the rental search engine HomeToGo showed 54% of U.S. travelers plan on taking a trip within the first two months of getting vaccinated. Yet, the rise of Covid variants is complicating matters.     

In late April, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against traveling to all but 31 destinations in the world, or the places on its Level 1 travel advisory list. Now, the number of places on the list has more than doubled and largely depends on travelers’ vaccination status.

To be clear, vaccinated travelers can still contract Covid-19 (and possibly transmit it), so researching infection and vaccination rates at intended destinations is advisable.

CNBC Global Traveler will update this list as new information is made public.

After a month-long closure due to a coronavirus outbreak in April, Anguilla reopened on May 22. Travelers vaccinated at least three weeks before arriving must quarantine for seven days; everyone else must quarantine for 10-14 days. There are no exceptions for children. Unvaccinated travelers also cannot use spas or gyms.

From July 1, visitors to Anguilla must be vaccinated to enter. They will not need to quarantine or be tested upon arrival. Mixed groups with travelers who are not eligible for the vaccine, such as children, will not need to quarantine, but they are must test negative before arriving.

Travel Level: 1

Visitors who upload a vaccination record before they arrive are exempt from a pre-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and a post-arrival rapid test. They don’t need to answer daily health questionnaires during their stay either. Only vaccines made by PfizerBioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca are accepted.

Travel Level: 3

Starting May 8, Barbados is reducing quarantine requirements for vaccinated travelers to zero to two days. Children under 18 years old traveling with vaccinated parents are also allowed to enter. Vaccinated travelers traveling with unvaccinated companions must quarantine for a week or more if they choose to stay together.  

Travel Level: 2

Travelers can enter Belize if they test negative before or after arriving; vaccinated visitors needn’t test though.

Travel Level: 1

While all travelers aged 10 and older must take Covid tests before and after arriving on Bermuda, immunized travelers who test negative can avoid a four-day quarantine once there. Vaccinated travelers also needn’t wear wristbands or report their temperatures twice daily, and accompanying children aged 17 and under are not subject to quarantines.

They must, however, take Covid tests on day 4, 8 and 14 of their vacations.

Unvaccinated travelers take note: From June 6, travelers who are not immunized are subject to supervised quarantine for up to 14 days in a designated facility at their own expense.

Travel Level: 2

Starting May 15, travelers can avoid quarantine in the British Virgin Islands for four days if they test negative before and after arriving (results are estimated to take 24 hours), according to a press release. They must also provide evidence of an “approved” vaccine — such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson, it said.

Travel Level: 1

Following a five-step reopening plan announced in July, the Cayman Islands will allow a limited number of vaccinated tourists to enter starting Set. 9, subject to the territory vaccinating 80% of its residents. Vaccinated travelers won’t need to quarantine from Oct. 14, and unvaccinated children can join vaccinated parents without quarantining come Nov. 18. Cruises won’t be permitted until January of 2022.

Travel Level: 1

From May 1, vaccinated travelers will still need to test negative before and after arriving in Grenada and its dependent territories of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Quarantine periods will be reduced from a week to no more than 48 hours, if they are vaccinated.

Travel Level: 1

From May 25, vaccinated Americans no longer need to test negative for Covid-19 before boarding flights originating from the U.S. Everyone else must either test negative before or after arriving; failure to upload test results within 48 hours of arrival can result in a $300 fine.

Other restrictions have been eased too. A local curfew has been lifted, and vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks, except on public transportation or in businesses that require them.

Travel Level: 3

St. Kitts and Nevis announced that from May 29, only vaccinated tourists can enter. Travelers immunized with U.S.- and European-made vaccines must test negative before arriving and “vacation in place” for three days. They can move within their approved hotel and interact with other guests, then upon passing a Covid-19 test administered on the fourth day, freely travel around the islands. Unvaccinated children traveling with vaccinated parents can also enter, provided they are below the age of 18.

Travelers from the U.K., Brazil, India and South Africa are currently restricted from entering.

Travel Level: 1

Starting May 11, Hawaii residents can travel between islands without Covid-19 tests or quarantines if they have been vaccinated in Hawaii. The state is expected to loosen entrance requirements for vaccinated travelers from the mainland United States later this summer.  

Travel Level: N/A

• Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea and other “Islands of Tahiti”

Visitors need a “compelling reason” to visit French Polynesia (colloquially referred to as “The Islands of Tahiti”) during the pandemic. From May 1, this reason can be for the purposes of tourism if travelers have been in the United States for 30 days before arriving, according to new guidelines that cite the “low circulation of Covid-19” in the U.S.  

“We are expecting this requirement to evolve as the Covid-19 situation improves in other countries,” Kristin Carlson, managing director of the country’s tourism marketing organization said.

Vaccinated travelers can avoid French Polynesia’s 10-day quarantine, but families with kids may be subject to it.

“Children 6 years old and older who are not vaccinated, nor immune or who test positive to the antigenic test will be quarantined, as well as the entire family with whom they are traveling,” said Carlson.  

Travel Level: 1

The European Union on May 20 agreed to reopen its borders to travelers who have been immunized with vaccines approved by European regulators. So far, those are vaccines made by Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.

Individual member states are free to decide when to reopen borders and whether to impose testing and quarantine requirements. Unvaccinated travelers coming from a list of countries with low Covid-19 infection rates are also expected to be welcome, though the list is still being finalized.

Some countries in Europe have separately announced or indicated plans to welcome vaccinated travelers, including:  

Options abound here. Fully vaccinated travelers can enter without quarantine, as can those with negative Covid tests or proof of a past Covid infection. Everyone else can test upon arrival or self-isolate for 10 days. Tourists coming from outside of Europe’s Schengen zone must also show proof of payment for their hotel or accommodation to get into Croatia.  

Travel Level: 4

From May 10, travelers from most of Europe, the United States, Canada, Russia and other countries can bypass Covid testing protocols if they are vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine or vaccines approved by the EMA. Vaccinated travelers aren’t subject to quarantines even if they are close contacts with a positive Covid case, and vaccine protocols kick in the same day a vaccine is fully administered. Vaccine certificates, which must be uploaded before departure, are to be verified by border control services in the country of departure.

Travel Level: 4

Vaccinated travelers from the U.S. and the U.K. can enter Denmark without having to quarantine or undergo pre-arrival Covid tests. Accompanying unvaccinated children can also enter, but they are subject to testing. The country already eliminated testing and isolation requirements for most vaccinated travelers coming from European Union or Schengen Area countries.

Travel Level: 3

Estonia allows travelers to avoid testing and 10-day quarantines if they’ve had Covid-19 or been vaccinated against the coronavirus in the past six months. Proof of vaccination can be shown by an immunization passport or certificate, and vaccines approved in a traveler’s country of residence or departure are accepted.

Travel Level: 4

From June 9, vaccinated tourists from countries from most parts of the world can enter France without having to quarantine. Visitors must show proof that they received a vaccine approved by the EMA. Unvaccinated children traveling with vaccinated adults can also enter.

Unvaccinated travelers hailing from “amber countries” on France’s color-coded map, which includes most of North America, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, must quarantine and have an essential reason to enter.

Travel Level: 3

All fully vaccinated travelers can enter Georgia if two requirements are met: they must enter by air and have not been in India in the past 14 days. India is experiencing a deadly second wave, which started in February.

Travel Level: 4

Starting May 9, vaccinated travelers (and some recoverees) can skip Germany’s quarantine measures. Only vaccines that are on the website of the Paul-Ehlich-Institut are accepted, which presently does not include any Russian- or Chinese-made vaccines. The new policy does not apply to people coming from areas with variants of concern, such as India, South Africa and Brazil.

Travel Level: 3

Greece is now welcoming travelers who present a negative PCR test or vaccination certificate upon arrival. Vaccines made in “third countries” such as Russia and China — which have not been approved by the EMA — are accepted. However, only residents of Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Serbia, United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda, Singapore and Russia can enter without isolating.

Russian travelers are also required to test negative to enter, even if they are vaccinated. Further announcements are expected before Greece’s broader reopening on May 14.

Travel Level: 3

Vaccinated travelers and Covid recoverees can avoid quarantines if they pass a Covid test upon arrival. Proof can be in paper or electronic format. Those inoculated with vaccines made in China and Russia will not be accepted. From June 1, less stringent measures are to apply to residents of low-risk countries.

Travel Level: 1

Travelers from the EU and Schengen Zone, plus the United States, Israel, Japan and Canada, can enter Italy under the EU’s “Green Certification” program. Visitors must show one of the following: vaccination with a U.S.- or European-made vaccine, recovery from a previous Covid infection, or a negative test taken within 48 hours of entering Italy. Children under six years old are exempt from the testing requirement.

Travel Level: 3

While Portugal’s mainland isn’t open to inoculated travelers yet, vaccinated travelers and Covid recoverees can enter Madeira, one of two autonomous regions of the country, without having to undergo Covid testing. The other region, the Azores, has no such provision. Plans for Portugal to welcome vaccinated travelers from the U.K. as early as May 17 have yet to be confirmed.

Travel Level: 4

While the small Mediterranean nation of Malta has indicated it may accept vaccinated travelers this summer, it hasn’t formally announced this yet. “In due course, it is expected that evidence of full vaccination … can be used instead of a negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate,” according to a statement from a governmental website.

Travel Level: 1

Tourists can enter if they show proof of being vaccinated, recovery from past infection or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours from entering. Unlike most countries, Montenegro allows vaccinated people to enter seven days after the full dose is taken. Regional residents and Russians do not need a test to enter.

Travel Level: 3

Vaccinated travelers can bypass Poland’s 10-day quarantine if they hail from EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Georgia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, Tunisia, Israel and Australia. Hotels are to remain closed until May 3, and only vaccines authorized in the EU are accepted.

Travel Level: 3

Travelers from Slovenia’s “red list” of countries (155 in total) can avoid a 10-day quarantine by presenting proof of vaccination, including those made in Russia and China. Time periods from the last dose vary from seven to 21 days depending on which vaccine was taken.    

Travel Level: 4

Tourists from the EU, Schengen Area and countries without a reciprocal agreement with Spain— namely, Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Israel, Rwanda, Singapore and Thailand — have options when it comes to visiting Spain. Everyone else must be vaccinated to enter.

Travel Level: 3

Israel in late May welcomed its first group of tourists — an American theological group from Missouri — under a pilot program to reopen to international travelers. Plans to welcome individual vaccinated tourists on July 1 have been delayed to August amid a rise in Covid cases caused the Delta variant.

Vaccinated travelers must quarantine, although it’s possible to petition the government for an exemption.  

Travel Level: 1

While Jordan now accepts vaccine certificates from many countries, only those vaccinated in the U.S. and Canada are exempt from taking a PCR test upon arrival. From June 15, vaccinated visitors are also not subject to curfew restrictions.

Travel Level: 3

For Lebanon, where travelers are vaccinated matters more than which vaccine they received. Travelers can avoid a pre-flight Covid test if they have been vaccinated 15 days before departing and received their second dose in Lebanon, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, parts of northern Africa, plus most of Europe and Asia. They must still take a Covid test upon arrival.

Travel Level: 3

Vaccinated travelers, and their children aged 11 and under, can enter Qatar without quarantining. Travelers must be vaccinated with U.S.- and European-made vaccines or Sinopharm, test negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours of arriving and secure a permit to enter.

Travel Level: 3

While Hong Kong is anything but open, it is easing boarding, quarantine and testing requirements for some immunized travelers. Starting May 12, vaccinated travelers from low-risk countries, such as Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, must quarantine in designated hotels for seven (rather than 14) days, while those coming from medium- and high-risk places must quarantine for 14 days.

Inoculated travelers from “very high-risk” countries, such as Ireland and the United Kingdom, must quarantine for 21 days and take four tests, while those from “extremely high-risk” countries, such as Brazil, India and the Philippines, are not allowed to board passenger flights into Hong Kong, according to a government press release.

Travel Level: 1

Pre-flight Covid testing and quarantines aren’t necessary for vaccinated travelers anymore — but their uninoculated kids will need a test. Unvaccinated travelers can also avoid quarantines if they stay on an island where 60% of the population is vaccinated. The country’s Health Protection Agency will regularly publish a list of these islands, according to a statement from the Maldives’ Ministry of Tourism.

The announcement on April 16 stated only vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization — i.e. AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson — were accepted. However, five days later, the Maldives’ Ministry of Tourism revised the statement to include vaccines “approved by [WHO] … or any other competent authority of the respective countries.”  

Travel Level: 4

From late June, vaccinated travelers can serve quarantine periods at home, rather than having to pay to isolate at designated hotels.

Travel Level: 4

From July 1, travelers can enter Thailand’s largest island without quarantining provided that they are vaccinated, have not recently been in high-risk countries and are willing to follow the rest of the rules that make up Thailand’s “sandbox” reopening scheme.

If all goes well, the protocols are expected to be rolled out to other parts of Thailand — and potentially adopted by other destinations in Southeast Asia — later this year.    

Travel Level: 3 (whole country)

The “teardrop island” created a handy flowchart outlining travel protocols for vaccinated travelers. For them (and their kids aged 12 and younger), testing requirements are reduced, and they are free to leave Sri Lanka’s “bio-bubble” — which is designed to prevent tourists from mingling with locals. That’s provided they test negative about 24-48 hours after arriving.

Travel Level: 4

A pilot program to reduce quarantines for vaccinated travelers from 14 to seven days is expected to launch in May, according to the Taiwan News. Participation is limited, and applicants will have to be vaccinated one month prior and likely need three Covid-related tests before and after arriving.

Travel Level: 1

Seychelles in January became the first nation to welcome vaccinated travelers from all over the world. By March it had opened to all visitors — regardless of vaccination status.

This month, due to the rise of contagious Covid variants, Seychelles is closing its doors to some. Visitors from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan must be vaccinated to enter. Brazilians are not permitted to enter nor is anyone who visited South Africa two weeks before arrival. Visitors are also “strongly encouraged” to be vaccinated before traveling, according to a government travel advisory.

Travel Level: 4

Travelers can show proof of vaccination in lieu of a negative Covid test to enter. Unvaccinated travelers (who must test negative prior to arriving) and those with proof of a prior recovery can also visit, and no one is subject to quarantines.

Travel Level: 3

Vaccinated travelers can enter as can those with a negative PCR test (taken 72 hours prior to airport check-in) or proof of recovery in the past three months. Everyone aged 10 and above must show one of these and complete a health pass before arriving.

Note: the health pass doesn’t refer to the vaccination option yet.

Travel Level: 3

Editor’s note: This list includes countries that are easing travel restrictions for vaccinated travelers. It does not include countries which are open to all travelers, vaccinated or not.