For Travelers to Austria - Updated Information

Dear passengers,

According to the regulations of the local authorities and the current legislation, in case of a conflict between the rules for prevention against the spread of COVID-19, the stricter rules apply. Please read the information on the internal rules and measures in the provinces before taking a trip.

Upon entering Austria, the following legal requirements apply:
1. Restrictive measures for Bulgarian citizens entering the country:
According to the current ordinance of the Minister of Health, in force until December 31st, 2021, a group of countries with a lower degree of infection is formed, including Bulgaria (Anlage 1). In order to entry into Austria, the so-called "3G rules" (vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19, or a negative PCR test) come into force for these countries.

The three conditions for entry without quarantine are:
1. Proof of immunization in German or English, showing that the person has been vaccinated with one of the vaccines approved by the European Health Agency and the Chinese vaccines Sinopharm and Sinovak approved by the WHO.
The vaccination certificate must meet the following requirements:
• a second vaccination that has not been given more than 360 days ago, and at least 14 days must have elapsed between the first and second dose
• For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, only one vaccination is sufficient, provided that 21 days have elapsed since the vaccination, and this vaccination was not given more than 270 days ago, or
• vaccination, provided that a positive molecular test for SARS-CoV-2 has been carried out at least 21 days before, or that there are neutralizing antibodies prior to the vaccination, but not more than 360 days ago
• a following vaccination, which has not been carried out more than 360 days ago, with a minimum of 120 days between it and one of the aforementioned vaccinations.
2. A certificate from a doctor or the health authorities for COVID-19 recovery in the last 180 days. An antibody certificate not older than 90 days may also be presented.
3. Negative result from a PCR test not older than 72 hours or a rapid antigen test not older than 48 hours.

Passengers arriving from Bulgaria, who do not meet the "3G rules" on arrival must register online in the Pre-Travel-Clearance system and must take a coronavirus test within 24 hours.

The same conditions and legal consequences apply to minors up to the age of 12, as to the adults under whose supervision they travel, except for the obligation to be tested. If the quarantine of the adult under whose supervision the minors are traveling is considered to have ended, the quarantine for them shall also be considered to have ended.

Exceptions
Entry restrictions do not apply in the following cases:
- when it's needed to maintain the transport of goods and passengers if the country of destination is not Austria and the departure from Austria can be guaranteed;
- in case of urgent need for the care of animals or for agricultural and forestry needs (in strictly individual cases);
- a business transfer trip or a business transfer flight
- a travel of key interest to the Republic of Austria;
- transit passengers or transit through Austria without a stopover, except in the case of extremely urgent interruptions, provided that departure from the country is guaranteed;
- the crew of a repatriation flight, including the accompanying bodies of the Public Security Service;
- entry of passengers of emergency vehicles according to §26 of the Road Traffic Act 1960. (StVO 1960), Federal Gazette I № 159/1960 and public service vehicles according to §26a StVO 1960;
- entry of citizens coming from Austria who cross foreign territory without stopping to reach their final destination in Austria;
- entry into the municipalities of Mittelberg and Jungholz, as well as in Risthal in the area of Womp and Eben am Achensee.

The necessary documents, including medical certificates in English and German, in order to certify the 3-G conditions, can be downloaded from the following website

2. Presence / absence of obligatory quarantine for Bulgarian citizens; possibilities for exemption from quarantine:
Passengers arriving from low-risk countries, including Bulgaria, don't have an obligation to be quarantined, but they should provide proof of compliance with one of the 3G conditions. Otherwise, they must register in the Pre-Travel-Clearance system HTTPS://ENTRY.PTC.GV.AT/ and perform a coronavirus test within 24 hours.

In case of arriving from countries included in the list of countries with increased risk (Anlage 2) or from countries that do not appear in either of the two annexes of the Ordinance, the persons are left under quarantine and can be released from it at the earliest on day 5 after PCR testing.

3. Transit crossing / PCR test / antigen test / free / up to how many hours / transit corridors:
There are currently no corridors. Internal border controls have been restored and the small checkpoints to the Czech Republic and Slovakia have been closed. All border crossings with other countries are open. No PCR test is required for transit. Transit time does not imply sleeping over.

4. Introduced restrictions & prohibitions for importers/exporters of goods and services:
There are no prohibitions.

5. Border regime, open/closed borders & airports:
There are no closed borders, except for the small border checkpoints with the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

6. Internal measures, curfew, prohibited internal transport:
Attention! There is still a difference between the conditions for entering the territory of Austria and the applicable internal measures. There may be differences at the federal state level as well!

Owners of restaurants or accommodation establishments (hotels) may have specific requirements.
Event organizers have the right to introduce specific stricter measures, for example to allow only vaccinated and tested persons.

We recommend that travelers find out in advance from the specific hotel or organizer what exactly are the conditions for accommodation, respectively what are the conditions for participation in an event.
Under the current law, in the event of a conflict between the rules for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19, stricter rules apply.

In general, the measures can be summarized as follows:

The "2G" rule is introduced throughout Austria, and it covers those vaccinated with a two-dose vaccine up to 270 days after the second shot. For those immunized with Jansen's vaccine, there's a deadline for a second shot until February 3, 2022.

The "2G" rule applies to:
- Restaurants;
- Night clubs, discotheques, bars and the like;
- Christmas bazaars;
- Hotels and similar accommodation establishments
- Theaters, cinemas, and operas, but not museums;
- Sports and leisure facilities (amusement parks, swimming pools and the like, dance schools, casinos and entertainment halls, indoor indoor playgrounds, zoos, botanical gardens, etc.);
- Traveling with ski lifts and similar equipment for winter sports;
- Events with over 25 participants;
- Buses and boats for excursions;
- Services provided close to the body (e.g., hairdressing, cosmetic treatments, massages, etc.);
- Visits to hospitals and retirement homes.

Exceptions for accommodation in a hotel will be allowed in strictly defined cases, when a visitor needs someone else's help or an escort, as well as for extremely urgent professional reasons. In these cases, a negative PCR test will be required.

There's a mandatory wearing of protective masks from the "FFP2" type in closed places, public places, public transport, grocery stores, shops, pharmacies, drugstores, etc.

People who have received the first dose of any of the aforementioned vaccines will be able to visit those places if they present a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours (48 hours for Vienna) for up to 4 week after the measures are enforced.

Antigen tests are completely and universally eliminated as an opportunity to prove a low epidemiological risk. The only exception is the entry into Austria.

The 3G workplace rule, which was introduced on November 1st, still applies. It includes one of three pieces of evidence of low epidemiological risk: a vaccination certificate with a 9-month validity period, a certificate of recovery valid for up to 6 months, or PCR test, valid up to 72 hours (48 hours for Vienna).

Children and young people: Children under the age of 12 (6 for Vienna) are exempt from the G-proof requirement and therefore do not have to submit a test result.

The most general information on the measures by province is available on the following website


Information on where you can test yourselves is available here

More information on the rules after arrival in Austria, as well as which citizens are exempted from the measures, can be found on the website of the local authorities here or here

As well as on the page of the Situation Center at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

According to local regulations, the protective masks that passengers wear on flights to Austria must be FFP2.

With respect,
The Bulgaria Air team