Italy Eliminates Health Pass Requirement for Accessing Restaurants and Museums

Traveling to Italy has become significantly simpler. Starting May 1, Italian authorities no longer mandate a health pass, or “green pass,” for entry into restaurants, museums, and various other venues. This pass previously served to confirm that patrons were either vaccinated, had recently tested negative for COVID, or had recovered from it.

Travelers heading to Italy are also exempt from completing a Passenger Locator Form before arrival (previously, failure to do so resulted in a five-day quarantine prior to testing).

This recent relaxation of Italy's travel restrictions follows just two months after the country eased its entry requirements for travelers.

As of March 1, fully vaccinated travelers (those who received one or two doses within the last nine months or a booster shot) from any country are no longer required to present a negative COVID test to enter Italy. Before this change, travelers needed to provide proof of vaccination along with a negative test (taken within 72 hours for PCR or 24 hours for antigen tests prior to arrival).

Unvaccinated travelers can now enter Italy without the need to quarantine (previously, they were required to quarantine for five days and undergo testing at the start and end of the quarantine period). However, they must provide proof of recovery from COVID within the last 180 days or present a negative COVID test (taken within 72 hours for PCR tests and within 48 hours for rapid antigen tests).

This announcement is in line with the broader EU strategy aimed at establishing uniform restrictions across the member states. Earlier this year, Iceland, France, and Portugal also announced plans to eliminate the pre-departure testing requirement for vaccinated travelers.

Several indoor mask mandates in Italy have also been lifted, including in supermarkets, workplaces, and retail stores. Masks are still required on public transportation, in cinemas, and in all healthcare facilities and nursing homes.

This article was originally published on March 2, 2022, and has been updated with the latest information. Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this update.