Traveling to Italy: What to Know about Green Pass and Rules

Last Updated: January 10, 2022

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Effective January 10, 2022, the Super Green Pass (proof of vaccination or recovered from Covid-19) will be required for all public transportation including planes, trains, undergrounds, buses, trams. In addition, all passengers will be required to wear FFP2 masks (N95).

The Super Green pass is also now required for hotels, museums, dining in restaurants (indoors and outdoors) and most activities. For full details on which activities are allowed with only the Super Green Pass, visit the official Italian Government website.

Updated: November 25, 2021
The Italian Government has announced that from December 6, 2021 to January 15, 2022, the Green Pass certificate will now be required to stay in hotels and to use local public transport as well as regional trains.

In addition, the Super Green Pass rules will come into effect during the same period that will require individuals to be vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 in order to dine indoors at restaurants and bars, and entry to cinemas, theatres, or sporting stadiums.

Traveling to Italy?

Now that travel is opening again in Italy, there are more rules and restrictions to keep track of. If you are planning to travel to Italy, here are answers to frequently asked questions.

What do you need to enter Italy as a tourist? Are face masks still required? What is this Green Pass everyone is talking about?

What You Need to Know About Traveling to Italy

Basically, you need to know two things:

1. What you need to travel to Italy

2. What you need to do once you are in Italy and want to visit sites, museums, restaurants, and travel around the country.

While Italy has mostly opened up for tourism, there are different rules depending on where you are coming from and sometimes depending on which airline you book with.

The best thing you can do to prepare for your departure is to check the official website of the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. You will fill out a quick survey about your trip and it will present you with everything you need to do before you travel to Italy.

1. So, what documents do you need to travel to Italy now?

Besides your passport (or ID card if coming from another EU country), you will also need to fill out a Passenger Locator Form. You can do this prior to your flight which will save you time and stress at the airport.

If you are coming from another EU or Schengen country, your EU Digital Covid Certificate is your Green Pass and is recognized for entry into Italy.

Effective August 31, 2021, if you are coming from outside the EU or Schengen area (United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, Japan, among others) you will be allowed entry to Italy, without having to quarantine, provided you show:

· Proof of vaccination. You must have completed a full vaccine cycle at least 14 days prior to traveling.  Accepted vaccines are: Pfizer BioNtech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Oxford, Johnson&Johnson/Janssen OR Proof of recovery from COVID-19 no more than 6 months prior.

AND

· Negative result to a COVID-19 PCR or Rapid Antigen test taken no more than 72 hours prior of entry.

If you are not fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to traveling or can’t proof that you have recovered from Covid-19 no more than 6 months prior to your flight along with a negative test as mentioned above, you will be required to quarantine for 5 days and then be tested at the end of the period.

For travelers from the UK, you can enter Italy without being required to quarantine if you have proof of vaccination AND a negative test taken within 48 hours prior to travel.

If you are vaccinated, you can use one of the approved government-issued vaccination cards. Cards from the USA, Canada, Japan, Israel, and the UK are accepted.

Before you travel, I recommend you keep checking with your airline, as they will tell you what you need in order to make it on to your flight and also check the updates from the Italian Ministry of Health.

2. What to do once you are in Italy

As of August 6, 2021, to enter a monument/museum, restaurant/bar/café, gym, spa, and some other indoor locations, you will need to show your so-called “Green Pass”. (You do not need this to eat or drink outside, or to consume something standing at the bar/café).

If you are European, your EU Digital Covid Certificate is your Green Pass.

If you are not European, your “Green Pass” is ONE of the following:

· Proof of vaccination. Accepted vaccines are: Pfizer BioNtech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Oxford, Johnson&Johnson/Janssen.

· Proof of recovery from COVID-19 no more than 6 months prior.

· Negative result to a COVID-19 PCR or Rapid Antigen test taken no more than 48 hours prior.

Children under 6 are exempt from testing or quarantine requirements.

If you are vaccinated or have doctor’s proof of recent recovery from Covid-19, you can use this same documentation to enter the sites and to eat inside restaurants/bars/cafés.

NB – To ENTER Italy, you must have completed a full vaccine cycle at least 14 days prior to traveling. But to enter sites, museums, restaurants etc. once in Italy, you only need proof of having had at least one shot (or just one if you had the Janssen/J&J shot).

If you plan on using a negative antigen test result as your “Green Pass”, you will have to keep taking this test when in Italy, because they are only valid if taken 48 hours prior to whatever it is you are doing.

It is important to keep in mind that these documents are only accepted in Italian, English, French, or Spanish. If they are in any other language, you will have to get them translated and the translation notarized.

To take a rapid antigen test, you can go to just about any pharmacy. Around Rome and other cities, you will see tents set up outside the pharmacies. Usually, you need to reserve in advance but you can often book for same day testing. The cost is 22 Euros. You usually get written results in about 15 minutes.

What are the other rules and restrictions?

As of September 1, 2021, the Green Pass is required for train, air, or ferry travel within Italy. There is currently no Green Pass requirement for public transportation within a city.

Everyone age 12 and up must have a Green Pass for sightseeing and dining inside restaurants, as 12 is the minimum age in Italy for vaccination eligibility. Children under the age of 12 are exempt.

Finally, masks are not required outside as long as you are not in a crowd. They are, however, almost always be required inside any site/museum. They must be properly worn at all times throughout your visit. You will also likely have your temperature taken and be asked to use the hand sanitizer available.

Other government websites to visit before you travel to Italy

Italian Ministry of Health
Italian Embassy in the US
Reopen EU

Author’s Bio: Elyssa Bernard is the owner and publisher of Romewise, a website all about visiting Rome. Originally from Gainesville Florida, Elyssa married to a Roman, and has lived in Rome 20 years.