Aphrodite, goddess of love, goddess of Cyprus — the two were synonymous for the Ancient Greeks.
Born from the foam of the sea, the legendary lady has been (like all of us) a little washed out of late. Caught up in the pandemic’s tiresome tangle of lockdowns and travel plans deferred, romantic getaways to Cyprus have been put on hold — but maybe not for much longer.
If you’ve been cramped in a tiny European apartment for the past year and find yourself craving some of that bright Cyprus sunshine, can you visit?
Well, it depends where you’re coming from.
Right now, EU citizens are allowed to visit the Mediterranean island. The exact procedure depends on where your country of origin fits into Cyprus’s traffic light system.
Malta, New Zealand, Iceland, and Australia, for example, are in the Green category, meaning travellers can enter the country without any restrictions.
If you’re not lucky enough to be coming from here, don’t worry, the Cypriot borders may not be closed to you. Countries in the Orange category can still enter but will have to produce a negative PCR test taken within 72-hours before departure. Right now, Ireland, Romania, China, and the UK are among the countries listed here.
Cypriot citizens and legal residents coming from somewhere on the orange list can opt to get a test on arrival instead. But, they will have to self-isolate while the test is being processed.
Travelling from a red-listed country is a little more complicated. If your country is in the Red category, you’re required to produce two negative tests, one within 72-hours prior to departure and another on arrival. Passengers will have to self-isolate until the results of the second test come back.
Currently, Germany France, Italy, and Belgium are all in the Red zone. The countries are recategorised regularly and a fully updated list is available here.
No matter which category you’re in, all travellers must still fill in a Cyprus Flight Pass before boarding flights to Cyprus – airlines have been made aware of this requirement and are obligated to enforce it.
The Cypriot government has started to legislate for vaccinated travel. What exactly does this mean?
Firstly, no vaccinated tourists will have to self-isolate on arrival. However, you might have to produce a negative PCR test, depending on where you’re coming from.
Travellers whose country of origin is in the Orange or Red zone will need a negative test taken within 72-hours before departure. Green category passengers will not.
If you’re departing from a Red-listed country, you will also need to produce a negative PCR test on arrival to Cyprus, even if you’ve been vaccinated.
All passengers will still have to fill in the Cyprus Flight Pass before boarding.
