Ciao! Italy opens to SA tourists at long last: Here’s the need to know

Picturesque Venice, Italy. Photo: Neil Morrell / pixabay

If you’ve been eagerly awaiting your trip to Italy, you’re in for some good news. The country will finally lift travel restrictions on non-European (non-EU) countries from 1 March.

This ideally means that travellers may enter the country for VFR (visiting friends or relatives) reasons or tourism, with no pre-travel testing required.

Italy removes SA from ‘List E’

Up until this point, travel to Italy had been allowed – but tourists were not. This meant that South Africa had been placed on Italy’s “List E”, which included strict rules for entry into the country.

One of these rules had entailed that the traveller must have a “compelling reason” for travel to the country – meaning documentary proof relating to health, work, study or other plausible reasons that necessitate travel to Italy.

Fortunately, however, these restrictions have since been loosened. According to Travel News, the Italian Health Minister, Roberto Speranza, announced on his official Facebook page:

“Starting from March, for arrivals from all non-European countries, the same rules already established for European countries will be in force.” The information was repeated in his official Twitter account on February 22.

The minister also said that a vaccination certificate, a recovery certificate or a negative test result would be accepted for entry into the country from 1 March.

A special note for PCR test entrants

Travellers wishing to enter the country with just a negative PCR test certificate should be aware of a few regulations.

Italy currently has a two-tiered Health Pass system in place. This Health Pass is obtained either by proof of vaccination or of recovery from COVID-19. It cannot be attained with just a negative test result.

This Health Pass is also essential to gain access to more or less everything in the country, including hotels, restaurants and public transport and is not expected to change until 31 March at the earliest.

ALSO READ: Australia finally reopens after nearly two years of closed borders

Sundeeka Mungroo

Sundeeka Mungroo is a content writer, foodie and all-round adventure-seeker. She's a graduate of the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, and has worked as a copywriter and editor in the digital marketing industry. Sundeeka currently writes for I Love South Africa and The South African. She lives in the beautiful Mother City and loves exploring all that South Africa has to offer.