The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works announces here in Greek that , during its meeting today, the Council of Ministers approved a new Action Plan for the smooth conduct of flights and the operation of Airports. The new Action Plan enters into force on April 18, 2022. We are waiting for the official English Translation to be circulated as soon as available.
Specifically, the new Action Plan envisages the following:
- Categorization of countries:
As of April 18, 2022, the categorization of countries according to their epidemiological situation is abolished.
- Cyprus Flight Card – CyprusFlightPass:
From April 18, 2022, the obligation to complete and obtain the Cyprus Flight Card – CyprusFlightPass is abolished.
- Conditions for entry into the Republic:
From 18 April 2022, for travel purposes in the Republic of Cyprus, passengers must meet the following conditions and bring with them the relevant supporting documents:
- Vaccinated or Recovered passengers:
Vaccinated or Recovered passengers, regardless of nationality, will be able to travel and enter the Republic of Cyprus from any country of departure, without the need for a laboratory test, provided that one of the following conditions is met:
- They Hold a digital European or equivalent COVID-19 vaccination or recovery certificate from a third country, either
- They hold a valid vaccination certificate from the competent authorities of any third country, provided that the required doses of vaccine accepted by the Republic of Cyprus have been completed.
- The vaccination certificate is considered acceptable only if all of the following conditions apply:
- It has been issued by the public authorities of the country.
- The vaccine is one of: Johnson & Johnson / Janssen, AstraZeneca, (Vaxzervia, COVISHIELD, SKBio), Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna, Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac), Sinopharm (BBIBPCOVID-19), CovaVax, Corovax , Covaxin, Sputnik Light (booster dose only as part of a basic vaccination programme) and Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19.
- Passengers 18 years of age and older: For travel purposes, the passenger must have received AND the 3rd booster dose in the case of a two-dose vaccine or the 2nd booster dose in the case of a single-dose vaccine, of one of the above vaccines, without expiry of the 3rd or of the 2nd dose respectively. Vaccination certificates for passengers who have received two doses of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine will only be accepted if a period of 9 months has not elapsed between the date of the second dose of the two-dose vaccine or one dose of the single-dose vaccine.
- Passengers under 18 years of age: For travel purposes, the passenger is considered to have completed his / her vaccination schedule if he / she has received the 2nd dose in case of a two-dose vaccine or one dose in case of a single-dose vaccine, without expiration date of the 2nd or 1st dose respectively.
- With the exception of the Johnson & Johnson / Janssen vaccine, for which a period of 14 days must have elapsed between the dose of the vaccine and the date of travel, passengers may travel to the Republic of Cyprus immediately upon completion of the required doses of acceptable vaccines.
- A digital European or equivalent third country recovery certificate is considered acceptable if all the following conditions are met:
- Issued by the public authorities of the states,
- The travel date does not exceed 180 days from the first positive result.
For check-in purposes, passengers must present their vaccination certificate or recovery certificate in printed or electronic form.
It is noted that passengers who have been vaccinated or recovered in countries that have joined the EU COVID digital certification system are allowed to travel to the Republic of Cyprus only if they hold a valid European or equivalent COVID19 vaccination or recovery certificate from third countries.
- Passengers who have not been vaccinated or who do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate:
Passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate, regardless of nationality, will be able to travel and enter the Republic of Cyprus from any country of departure, provided they meet one of the following conditions:
- have performed a laboratory molecular examination (RT-PCR) 72 hours before departure, or
- have performed an antigen rapid test 24 hours before departure.
Persons under 12 years of age are not required to submit and present a certificate of negative PCR or rapid test.
For control purposes, passengers aged 12 and over who do not hold a vaccination or recovery certificate must present the results of their examination in printed or electronic form.
It is clarified that self-tests by passengers who do not hold a valid certificate of vaccination or recovery (as described above), are not accepted for travel purposes in the Republic of Cyprus.
It is understood that, in the event of selection for a sample diagnostic test on arrival with either a RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen test or both, all passengers must comply. In case of refusal, they will be quarantined for a period of 10 days, unless they undergo a PCR laboratory examination before the end of that period. The costs of quarantine and laboratory examination will be borne by the passenger.
It is emphasized that those who travel to the Republic of Cyprus must meet the above-mentioned conditions, whether it is a vaccination certificate, a recovery certificate or a negative test certificate. Attempting to enter the Republic without meeting the above conditions constitutes an offense, which provide for an extrajudicial fine of 300 euros.
It is also noted that until April 17, 2022, the existing measures at Larnaca and Paphos Airports remain in force and are applied.