More and more countries in Europe require online pre-registration of the planned entry. Other states make it compulsory to fill out forms. An overview.

After Greece caused displeasure in the tourism industry at the end of June 2020 with a new entry procedure that was introduced at extremely short notice, other holiday countries have now followed suit and also require advance registration. This is already the case in Spain, Italy and Cyprus (south), for example.

Who after Greece wants to enter the country must fill out a questionnaire on the Internet at least 48 hours before the scheduled appointment. A QR code is then sent, which has to be shown either in printed form or digitally on the smartphone. The airlines were instructed by NOTAM to check the presence of the barcode at the check-in counter or during boarding before departure. Anyone who appears at a Greek border crossing without this QR code - regardless of whether by air, sea or land - risks being rejected and a fine of 500 euros. Greece is carrying out random PCR tests for the coronavirus. The state bears the costs for this, but it may happen that the hotel may not be left until a negative result is obtained.

Cyprus introduced the so-called “Cyprus Flight Pass”. This must be requested online at least 24 hours before departure. There are no further measures for travelers coming from the states listed by the government in the list of Category A countries. If you come from category B, the issue of the Cyprus Flight Pass may be refused or the submission of a negative COVID-19 test, which must be uploaded in advance, may be requested. The Cyprus Flight Pass must be printed out and presented at passport control in Larnaka or Paphos. Without this, entry can be refused. South Cyprus expressly points out that in the event of a failure of the online travel registration system, the forms that can be downloaded from the homepage can also be used. In the "fallback case", these must be filled in by hand and handed in at the immigration control. Cyprus also uses NOTAM to instruct the airlines that the Cyprus Flight Pass should be checked before boarding the aircraft. Nothing is currently known about possible penalties for disregarding the regulation, but rejection may result.

Meanwhile also demands Spainthat the entry is registered in advance. This must be done through the “Spain Travel Health Portal” homepage. In contrast to the other countries, this is only possible 48 hours before the intended entry at the earliest. In addition, the Mediterranean state provides a free app called “SpTH”. You can also use this to register for entry. A QR code must then be shown on site. This can either be presented on the smartphone or in paper form. A transitional regulation applies in Spain until July 31, 2020, because a classic paper form can also be filled out directly upon entry. From August 1, 2020, only the barcode will be accepted and disregard may result in a rejection. The airlines are also instructed to check the presence of the entry QR code before departure, for example at the check-in counter or during boarding.

In Italy it depends very much on where you want to go. While no further steps are necessary in Rome and Milan, for example, you have to go to the destination airports Lamezia Terme (SUF), Olbia (OLB), Cagliari (CAG), Bari (BRI), Brindisi (BDS), Palermo (PMO), Catania ( CTA) register the intended entry online. Failure to comply can result in rejection. Here, too, the airlines are instructed to check the printout of the pre-registration at check-in or boarding.

The following countries also require online registration of entry:

• United Kingdom
• Portugal (Madeira Region)

The following countries recommend online registration for entry, but do not explicitly oblige you to do so:

• France
• Italy (with the exception of the airports mentioned in the article, for which advance notification is mandatory)
• Croatia

The following countries require paper entry forms to be presented:

• Malta
• France
• Ireland
• Morocco
• Austria (UMs only)
• Portugal
• Romania
• Switzerland
• Spain (only possible online from August 1, 2020)
• Tunisia

It is strongly recommended that the necessary entry forms are printed out and filled out at home in advance, as some airlines want to have them presented at the check-in counter or when boarding. Otherwise, carriage can be refused. Some airlines make the forms available for download during web check-in or they can be displayed at the airport counter. Regardless of this, it is recommended to obtain this in advance via the official homepages of the respective country and to take it with you on the trip in the completed form. If this is not observed, entry can be refused.

The information given in this article is based on the data status as of July 8, 2020 and does not claim to be correct or complete, as the provisions of the individual countries change dynamically and extremely frequently. It is therefore urgently recommended that you check in good time before departure whether it is possible to enter the country of destination and which documents or which online pre-registration are required for this.