Cyprus will lift all travel restrictions for the fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from 1 March, regardless of their country of origin.
The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new action plan for the tourist season.
New rules will end the current requirement for all passengers to carry a 24-hour negative rapid test or 72-hour PCR test while being subjected to further testing and restrictions according to their country of origin.
While allowing all vaccinated passengers entry without quarantine or testing requirements, the cabinet also tweaked the country’s traffic colour travel system.
From 1 March, countries will be put into three categories, Green, Red and Grey, based on their epidemiological situation as assessed by the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC).
Under the new regulations, the previous green and orange categories will merge to correspond to the newly formed Green category.
Countries designated as red and dark red by the ECDC will be listed in the grey category.
Under the new rules, passengers who have recovered from the virus, regardless of whether their country is listed, will also have quarantine and tests waivered.
Vaccinated and recovered people must carry proof of their status a valid vaccination or recovery certificate issued by their home country.
Authorities will accept certificates indicating people have been vaccinated with an approved vaccine.
The list includes Janssen, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Covaxin, Sputnik Light (only as a booster dose), Novavax COVID-19 jabs.
Vaccination certificates carried by adults must not be older than nine months.
Passengers over 18 must have received a booster dose if a period of nine months has elapsed since their second dose.
If not, they will fall into the unvaccinated category under the new travel rules.
Those who have not received a booster shot will need to test or self-isolate according to the requirements listed for their country of origin.
In the case of a certificate of recovery, the travel date must not exceed 180 days from the first positive diagnosis.
Unvaccinated travellers from countries slotted into the green category will have to take a PCR test no later than 72 hours before departure or a rapid antigen test 24 hours before departure.
Unvaccinated red category passengers must abide by the same testing rules as green category countries.
They will also be required to get a PCR test upon arrival at the airport.
The cost of which will be borne by the passenger.
Unvaccinated passengers, or those without a recovery certificate, over the age of six arriving from grey countries must carry a negative test, take a PCR upon arrival, and go into self-isolation for 14 days or seven provided they test negative with a PCR test.
The cost for the test is borne on the individuals.
Passengers are still required to complete the CyprusFlightPass within 48 hours before their flight and comply with random coronavirus tests at the airports.
