Filenews 18 April 2022
As of today, Monday, the Safe Pass in retail trade and shopping malls is abolished, following a decision by the Council of Ministers.
According to the Minister of Health, Michalis Hadjipantelas, catering establishments within shopping centres are excluded from the abolition of the Safe Pass. At the same time, as of May 2, 2022, students upon their return to schools must present a rapid test with a validity of 48 hours and then a Rapid test of 7 days validity.
The new action plan for the smooth operation of flights and the operation of airports, which provides for the abolition of the categorisation of countries according to their epidemiological situation and the abolition of the Cyprus Flight Pass, is also implemented as of today.
Specifically, the new Action Plan provides for the following:
A. Categorisation of countries:
As of April 18, 2022, the categorization of countries according to their epidemiological situation is abolished.
B. Cyprus Flight Card – Cyprus Flight Pass:
As of April 18, 2022, the obligation to complete and obtain the Cyprus Flight Card – CyprusFlightPass – is abolished.
C. Conditions of entry into the Republic:
As of 18 April 2022, for travel purposes in the Republic of Cyprus, passengers must meet the following conditions and carry with them the relevant documentary evidence:
- Vaccinated or convalescent passengers:
Vaccinated or recovered passengers, regardless of nationality, will be able to travel and enter the Republic of Cyprus from any state of departure, without the obligation of laboratory examination, provided that one of the following conditions is met:
- Hold a digital European or equivalent from third countries covid-19 vaccination or recovery certificate, either
- They hold a valid vaccination certificate from the competent authorities of any third country, provided that the required doses of a vaccine accepted by the Republic of Cyprus have been completed.
- The vaccination certificate is considered acceptable only if all the following conditions apply:
- It has been issued by the public authorities of the states.
- The vaccine is one of: Johnson&Johnson/Janssen, AstraZeneca, (Vaxzervia, COVISHIELD, SKBio), Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac), Sinopharm (BBIBPCOVID-19), CovaVax, Sinovac (CoronaVac), Covaxin, Sputnik Light (only as a booster dose in a basic vaccination regimen) and Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19.
- Passengers 18 years and older: For travel purposes, the passenger must have received the 3rd dose in case of a dosing vaccine or the 2nd dose in case of a single-dose, one of the above vaccines, without an expiry date of the 3rd or 2nd dose respectively. Certificates of vaccination of passengers who have received two doses of dosing vaccine or a single-dose vaccine shall be accepted only if a period of 9 months has not elapsed since the date of administration of the 2ndd dose in the case of a two dose vaccine or of one dose in the case of a single-dose vaccine, respectively.
- Passengers under 18 years of age: For travel purposes, the passenger is considered to have completed his vaccination regimen if he has received the 2nd dose in case of a dosing vaccine or the one dose in case of a single-dose, without an expiry 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 administration of the vaccine dose and the date of travel, passengers may travel to the Republic of Cyprus immediately upon completion of the required doses of acceptable vaccines.
- The digital European or equivalent from third countries recovery certificate is considered acceptable if all the following conditions apply:
- It has been issued by the public authorities of the States,
- The travel date does not exceed 180 days from the first positive result.
For control purposes on arrival, passengers must present their vaccination certificate or recovery certificate in paper or electronic form.
It is noted that passengers who have been vaccinated or recovered in states that have joined the EU's digital CERTIFICATE system are allowed to travel to the Republic of Cyprus only if they hold as evidence in force a digital European or equivalent from third countries a covid-19 vaccination certificate or recovery certificate.
2. Passengers who have not been vaccinated or 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 state of departure, provided that they meet one of the following conditions:
- have performed a laboratory molecular test (RT-PCR) 72 hours before departure, or
- have performed an antigen rapid test 24 hours before departure.
Persons under the age of 12 are not required to submit and submit a certificate of negative PCR examination or rapid test.
For control purposes, passengers aged 12 years and over who do not hold a vaccination or recovery certificate must present the result of their examination in printed or electronic form.
It is clarified that self-testing tests by passengers who do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate (as described above) are not accepted for travel purposes in the Republic of Cyprus.
It is understood that, in case of random checks upon arrival either by RT-PCR test or rapid antigen test or both, all passengers without exception must comply. If they are refused, they will be placed under state quarantine for a period of 10 days, unless they perform a laboratory PCR test before the end of that period. The costs of quarantine and laboratory testing 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 examination certificate. The attempt to enter the Republic without the fulfilment of the above conditions constitutes an offence, according to the Extrajudicial Regulation of Offences Laws of 1997 to 2021, which provide for an extrajudicial fine of €300.
