Norway has removed all of its Covid-19 related entry requirements for tourists. The Scandinavian country, famed for its enchanting northern lights displays, stunning lakes and otherworldly glacial fjords, made the announcement just yesterday, becoming one of the first countries in the world to revert their entry requirements back to pre-pandemic settings in the process in what could be a watershed moment for the travel and tourism industry.
The exciting move also comes after Norway removed their local Covid-19 related restrictions – such as mask wearing in public – just last week, meaning that travelers who arrive in Norway from now on are bound to experience a slice of what travel used to be like before the pandemic. Here’s a closer look at which entry requirements Norway has just removed for tourists, plus a reminder of which local restrictions were recently axed by the country too.
Entry Requirements Removed – What Travelers Should Know
After two years of pandemic-related travel volatility and uncertainty, it seems that the world might just be changing its approach to Covid-19 after all. More and more countries around the world are beginning to change not only their local, Covid-19 related restrictions, but their entry requirements too, reducing the number of hoops travelers have to jump through in order to kickstart tourism and head towards normality once more. Few countries are doing this to the extent that Norway is.
Fresh off the heels of removing virtually all of their domestic Covid-19 related rules and restrictions, Norway has gone a step further this weekend by returning their entry requirements for foreign travel to the typical, pre-pandemic ones that so many took for granted. This means that travelers will not have to take a Covid-19 test or show proof of vaccination to enter Norway anymore, with quarantine already having been removed a while ago.
As well as removing the testing requirement for all inbound travelers, Norway has also scrapped the need for travelers to complete a digital entry registration form prior to arrival, making it even easier to visit the country. The changes were published in a press release on the Norwegian government’s website, which highlighted all of the changes that were set to be made on Saturday February 12th.
The changes pertinent to travelers are as follows:
- The requirement and recommendation to keep a 1-metre distance is removed.
- The requirement to wear a face covering is removed.
- Only adults with symptoms are recommended to get tested.
- The requirement of isolation is removed and replaced with a recommendation that adults with COVID-19 stay home for 4 days. This recommendation will be assessed continually and is expected to change within the next few weeks.
- The remaining entry restrictions, i.e. the duty to complete entry registration and to produce a negative test prior to arrival, are being removed.
Speaking about his country’s restriction changes, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said:“We can ease the measures because omicron does not cause as serious a disease as previous variants. Even though the infection is rising, the proportion who end up in hospital is low. We are well protected with the vaccine.”
Despite the changes, travelers should go ahead and get rid of their face masks just yet. Travelers will still be required to wear their face masks on flights to the country, and may also want to carry one around with them just in case they wish to wear it in busy places. Whilst Norway may be amongst the first countries to make such changes, keep an eye out for other dominoes set to fall across Europe.
