Cyprus to Welcome Vaccinated UK Travellers from May

Cyprus will be opening its borders to travellers from the UK that have been vaccinated since May. It has already made arrangements for travellers from Israel, which has been leading the coronavirus vaccine drive by countries.

The government of Cyprus has confirmed that those who had both COVID injections could travel to the country without restrictions from 1 May.

This is good news for UK travellers once the UK is expected to lift its travel restrictions preventing people from travelling abroad for holidays. Currently, travel from the UK is banned, except for essential travel, until the expected date of 17 May.

Cyprus has not yet said how British tourists will be required to prove they have had both vaccine doses.

Cyprus to Allow In Vaccinated Tourists

Savvas Perdios, Cyprus's deputy tourism minister, said the country would allow travellers from the UK that have had the full course of coronavirus vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) the right to enter without the need for a negative test or to quarantine.

We have informed the British government that from May 1 we will facilitate the arrival of British nationals who have been vaccinated so they can visit Cyprus without a negative test or needing to quarantine.
Savvas Perdios, Deputy Tourism Minister

Travellers will have to have had their second dose, at least seven days before travelling, the minister added.

Cyprus Plans to Reopen to International Travel

Travellers from the UK are the biggest market for Cyprus, like Greece, and made more than a million trips to Cyprus in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics. Israel and Greece have also come to an agreement to allow in vaccinated travellers.

Although the UK has not approved a vaccine certificate and were loathed to do so in the first instance, the government are now looking into the possibility. In the first instance, Nadhim Zahawi, the minister in charge of vaccine deployment, stated that vaccinated travellers could request a copy of their medical records from their GP. In a recent survey, British nationals were supportive of adopting a vaccine certificate.

Who Can Travel to Cyprus for Holidays?

Cyprus had an 84% drop in tourism during the 2020 season and recently began easing its nationwide lockdown. The intention to allow vaccinated tourists is dependant on factors such as vaccine rollouts and the prevalence of COVID-19 variants. But the hope is to recover the tourism market that has been devastated by the pandemic.

Travellers without a vaccine will still be allowed into Cyprus if they carry a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival.

The list of countries that have already declared that UK travellers will be allowed in with a digital vaccine passport now includes Greece, Spain & Cyprus. The list of countries is likely to grow as more and more countries roll out vaccine passports.

Do you have plans to travel to Cyprus, Greece or Spain for the holidays? Check out the deals we’ve found and Comment below on your travel plans.

Check out the offers and discounts from:

And because of the pandemic, don’t forget to get your travel insurance, which will cover you for flight disruptions and pandemic related matters.

Are you excited to travel to Cyprus? Comment below.

IaM can help with your visa application to the United States, the UK & other countries

If you need help with a US visa, a UK Visa, or visa to Europe, including help with appointment booking obligations, IaM can help. For more information and advice on US immigration, UK immigration law and US visa applications or if you need any help or assistance please, reach out to your Visa Coordinator at IaM.