EU Moves to Remove Travel Restrictions for American Visitors

On Wednesday, the European Union welcomed the United States and several other nations into its travel "white list," permitting vaccinated travelers to skip quarantine and enjoy greater mobility across the 27 EU member states.

Two sources familiar with the situation have informed CNBC that the EU plans to include the U.S. along with seven other countries or territories—Albania, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, Northern Macedonia, Serbia, and Taiwan—on the list of permitted travel nations.

It remains uncertain whether the U.S.'s addition to the list will be immediate, but the approval offers hope for American travelers.

Member countries will be permitted to allow residents from nations on the white list, including Japan, to enter without adhering to previously stringent quarantine rules and to travel more freely among EU member states.

The list will also facilitate certain travelers to transit through EU nations during flight layovers and connections—a challenge many have faced recently.

The EU is still awaiting the U.S. to ease its travel restrictions on EU nations before the transatlantic route can fully reopen.

These changes come amidst concerns about reopening as COVID-19 cases rise due to new virus strains. EU officials are urging member states to enhance their vaccination campaigns before international travel restrictions are entirely lifted.

In the meantime, England has postponed lifting lockdown measures for another month, citing an increase in cases due to the Delta variant of the virus.

Notably absent from Wednesday's EU announcement is the U.K. An EU official informed CNBC that the country was excluded from the white list because of the Delta variant, despite more than half of its population being fully vaccinated.

Recently, several EU nations, along with some non-EU countries, have agreed to implement digital vaccine passports to simplify the vaccine verification process. The U.K. is not part of this initiative. Starting July 1, anyone fully vaccinated with a digital passport will be allowed to travel freely among EU member states.

Emily McNutt contributed to this report.