Entry Regulations for Austria

16 September: Braunau in Upper Austria only: From 18 September, you will need a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours or a negative antigen test no older than 24 hours to travel out of Braunau. You are exempt if you are fully vaccinated OR have had COVID plus one vaccination.

9 September: New safety rules for the autumn have been announced.

Required Documents: Proof of Vaccination, Past Infection, or Negative Test

Anybody entering Austria has to show any one of these three documents:

• Negative COVID Test

You need to show a PCR test no older than 72 hours OR an antigen test no older than 48 hours. (For travellers from certain countries, only PCR tests are valid, please see below.) Tests need to be issued by a medical authority; self-tests are valid for 24 hours only if the result is entered into an official data processing system. Children under 12 do not need to show a test.

• Vaccine Certificate

The following vaccines (including mix-and-match vaccines) are recognised: BioNtech/Pfizer, AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria and Covishield), Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinovac, and Sinopharm. (Please be aware that this only applies to entering the country. Sinovac/Sinopharm are not valid for entering hotels, restaurants etc. within Austria.) You are considered vaccinated:

1. if you have received both doses of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria or Covishield), BioNtech/Pfizer, Moderna, Sinopharm, or Sinovac; OR
2. starting on the 22nd day after your one Johnson & Johnson dose; OR
3. if you have had a COVID infection and have received one vaccination dose (proof of past infection required).

The vaccine certificate is valid for 360 days after the 2nd dose for 2-dose vaccines. In people with a past infection + one vaccination, it is valid for 360 days after that one dose. If you have had a third/additional/booster vaccination, it is valid for 360 days from the third jab. For vaccines that require only one dose, it is valid from the 22nd day for 270 days from vaccination.

• Proof of Past Infection

You can enter Austria for 180 days after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Proof of neutralising antibodies is valid for 90 days from the test date.

What proof is accepted?

Proof of negative test, vaccination, or past infection can be a doctor's certificate, an official test result, a vaccination certificate/vaccination card/vaccine passport (including a pdf from an electronic vaccine passport, either on your phone or as a hard copy), or an official/medical certificate proving a past infection, either in German or English. If your original certificate is not in English or German, please use this official health certificate in German or English as proof.

If you are unable to show any of these documents, you are required to take a PCR or antigen test within 24 hours of arriving in Austria (please note that you WILL need to show proof when checking into a hotel). However, in this case, you will need to register digitally before travelling to obtain pre-travel clearance, and are required to show proof of it at the border (either digitally or as a hard copy). Find more information on the pre-travel clearance here and find the form you need to fill in before travelling here.

Please note that travellers from certain countries always need to obtain and show pre-travel clearance in addition to the above documents. Find rules for specific countries below.

Who can enter Austria? Additional requirements depending on country:

a) Travellers from safe countries with low incidence rate

Travellers from countries with a low incidence rate (see list below) who can show proof of negative test/vaccination/past infection can enter the country for tourism purposes without needing to self-isolate. This currently includes most European countries and some non-European countries. You need to have spent the past 10 days within these countries (or Austria) only.

*For travellers (by air only) from Cyprus, the following additional rules apply:

• Guests who have not yet been fully vaccinated or cannot prove a past infection within the last 90 days, have to show a PCR test (not older than 72 hours). An antigen test is not sufficient.

Certificates for proof of past infection must meet the following requirements:

• confirmation of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection within the last 90 days (infection has to be over at the time of issue),
• issued no earlier than 14 days after initial detection or onset of symptoms,
• symptom-free for at least 48 hours before the certificate is issued, and
• confirmation that despite the presence of a positive test result, no relevant epidemiological danger emanates from the person named in the certificate.

If there is no proof of vaccination, recovery, or a negative PCR test, the PCR test must be taken at the airport immediately.

b) Travellers from countries with high epidemiological risk

• Currently, these include Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and Suriname
• Travel for certain purposes only (e.g. business travel, medical reasons etc.), not for tourism
• Need to register digitally in advance to obtain pre-travel clearance, required to show proof at the border (either digitally or as a hard copy). Find more information on the pre-travel clearance here and find the form you need to fill in before travelling here.
• Negative PCR test (NOT antigen test) no older than 72 h required
• 10-day quarantine (can take test after 5 days to end quarantine early)

c) Travellers from all other countries

• Entering Austria is possible.
• All travellers need to show either proof of full vaccination OR proof of past infection OR a negative COVID test.
• Travellers who can show proof of full vaccination or past infection do not need to register for pre-travel clearance and do not need to self-isolate.
• Travellers who show a negative test (not a vaccine certificate or proof of a past infection) need to register digitally in advance to obtain pre-travel clearance. Find more information on the pre-travel clearance here and find the form you need to fill in before travelling here.
• Travellers who show a negative test (not a vaccine certificate or proof of a past infection) also need to self-isolate for 10 days (can take test after 5 days to end quarantine early).
• Children up to the age of 17 are able to enter Austria with no need to quarantine if accompanied by fully vaccinated or recovered adults, but from the ages of 12 to 17 they also have to show proof of a negative test/past infection/vaccination.

Please be sure to check your home country's travel warnings in addition to Austrian regulations. Please note: All information presented here has been researched with the utmost care. However, we can provide no guarantee of accuracy.

Issue of Visas

Certain Austrian embassies and consulates are issuing visas; please check directly with the embassy in your country.