Americans to be welcomed back to Ireland without quarantine beginning July 19
Americans will soon be able to visit Ireland and its famous rolling, green hills and charming libraries without having to endure a quarantine -- if they are vaccinated. In fact, they won't even need a predeparture test.
Reuters was the first to report Ireland will rollout new digital vaccine passports on July 19. According to the transport minister, Americans and British citizens will be able to come in at that time as long as they have proof of vaccination. From the Ireland government website, "The approach to travel outside the EU/EEA will also apply to travel to and from Great Britain and the U.S."
Prime Minister Micheál Martin made the announcement last Friday and also said restaurants and bars would begin serving customers indoors again as of July 5.
United Airlines is already celebrating the news saying in a Tweet that it will add a nonstop flight from Chicago to Dublin beginning in July.
Related: Country-by-country guide to reopenings
Americans have been allowed to visit Ireland but must have proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within three days of arrival and until May 28 they had to quarantine for two weeks at their own expense at a government-sanctioned hotel. Currently, Americans can go with a negative test, but they still have to spend five days in self-isolation until a second test is taken and comes back negative. Those restrictions are going away as of July 19, as long as you are vaccinated.You will still need to have a negative test.
The Irish government says, "Ireland will operate the EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) for travel originating within the EU/EEA," but the rules will also apply to the United States and the United Kingdom.
Related: Everything you need to know about EU vaccine passports
A Digital COVID Certificate will show if a passenger:
- is vaccinated against COVID-19;
- has recovered from COVID-19; or
- has a negative test result
More information on visiting Ireland can be found here.
Related: Visiting Dublin and Edinburgh
And a reminder from the U.S. embassy in Ireland, "all airline passengers to the United States ages 2 years and older must provide a negative COVID-19 viral test taken within three calendar days of travel." That means you'll need to get a COVID-19 test before you return to the States.
Don't miss TPG's Ireland hub — it's got everything you need to know about traveling to the Emerald Isle.
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