Norway to Allow EU/Schengen Residents to Enter Its Territory Starting from July 15

Posted date: 20 Jul 2021

The Norwegian borders remain currently closed for the majority of the European Union and Schengen Area citizens, aside from some of the Nordic countries, despite a recommendation of the European Commission to reopen borders for citizens of all these countries on June 15. In fact, the Norwegian government is planning to allow people resident in the Schengen Area/EEA to enter Norway from July 15, a month later than the Commission’s recommended date.

Moreover, the country is planning to select those eligible to enter based on the level of infection in the country or region that they live, while at the same time it abolished the requirement of quarantine for those permitted to enter. The assessment of infection rates in each country and region will be based on the criteria that have been used to assert the pandemic situation in the Nordic countries, for most of which Norway reopened its borders on June 15, which criteria may be adjusted as necessary.

Announcing the decision, the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg explained why Norway needs to make such assessments before opening the borders to each particular country.

Some of the criteria based on which Norway removed travel restrictions for the other Nordic countries include:

- the number of new Coronavirus cases compared to the size of the population
- the number of people recently admitted to intensive care
- the proportion of positive tests with the overall number of tests
- number of tests carried
- trace systems and information for people travelling, etc.

The government also clarified that even if a country meets the set criteria and Norway reopens the borders with it, the same border may close if the situation in that particular country deteriorates.

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GSP Admin