Singapore’s Vaccinated Travelers Can Still Roll into Most EU Destinations Without Quarantine
Good news for Singapore tourists – most European countries still welcome your sunny, jabbed selves without a 14‑day stay-at-home mandate.
Where the Freedom Flies
- Italy – keep that espresso in your itinerary.
- France – Paris has got your back (and baguettes).
- Germany – beer and no lockdown.
- Spain – tapas and freedom.
- Switzerland – mountains and no isolation.
- The Netherlands – tulips, not quarantine.
- Britain – the Union Jack continues to ship you out.
Even Finland and Sweden will lift their “new” VTLs on November 29, and their rules are set to stay as‑is: no quarantine for fully vaccinated visitors.
The Odd One Out: Denmark
Only Denmark, after the EU Council’s November 9 update, decided to put a 4‑to‑10‑day isolation on Singapore natives. Why the fuss?
“Denmark’s move is a post‑EU-lunch reaction to the Council’s recommendation that Singapore should stay on the ‘formerly restricted’ list,” notes an anonymous analyst, warning that other Western European states could tighten the reins should Covid‑19 bounce back.
EU Council Updates – Not Binding, But Influential
The Council’s recommendations aren’t legally enforceable, but many EU members (excluding Britain & Switzerland) still use them as a guiding star when setting border rules.
“Britain’s travel policies are independent, thanks to Brexit during 2023,” says a UK official. “So the EU’s news doesn’t disturb our red‑blue passport swagger.”
An Italian embassy representative assures that travellers heading to Rome won’t see any changes tied to Denmark’s new stance.
What Eurospeak Means for Travelers
VTLs (vaccinated travel lanes) beg for webpages depicting how passports glide past the border with no “stop and wait” instructions. But Denmark’s twist shows even that lane can sometimes start to look like a tragic thriller.
Traveler Tales
One spirited Singapore permanent resident, 48‑year‑old Andreas Birnik, half-reluctant, half‑hopeful about a return‑trip to Sweden, dries up in a joke: “Sorry, 20 months in the glove compartment of Covid‑19, I’m ready for a back‑and‑forth orange‑scented hop.”
He chuckled about the relief that Denmark’s restrictions haven’t spread to the others and looked forward to a no‑quarantine trade‑offs between his hometown and the EU proper.
What’s Next?
Right now, nothing’s off the table: each EU state can decide whether to tighten the reins if a new wave offshoots. But for the moment, Singapore’s vaccine‑qualified crowd can book a flight to Spain, cool as ever, minus the 14‑day pause.
It might make you wish the rest of the world opened its arms just as wide as Denmark doors – but, hey, at least you can still bring home a souvenir, a baguette, or a pint of lager—free of worry.
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Source: The Straits Times (permission required for reproduction)
