Good News – Africa Is Opening Up For Tourism
Following the news and updates around the COVID-19 pandemic, many airlines were forced to suspend or reduce their daily operations, and countries were forced to introduce travel restrictions. With the pandemic slowing down in some parts of the world, many countries have started to ease border restrictions and reopen for international tourists.
Cyprus
Cyprus reopened for tourism back in June. The government of Cyprus made three lists of countries that are permitted entry, each with their own entry requirements, categories A, B, and C. Passengers arriving from countries listed as category A can visit without testing and quarantines. This includes passengers from Australia, Japan, Singapore, Korea, New Zealand, and Thailand. Passengers arriving from category B countries will need to take a PCR test no longer than 72h prior to departure and show the negative test result upon arrival. Passengers from category C will need to take a PCR test no longer than 72h prior to departure and show the negative test result upon arrival as well. However, passengers from this category will have to quarantine for 14 days. You can see the countries in categories B and C here.
The government of Cyprus is now requiring all passengers to register and fill out a digital Flight Pass. All passengers can apply for their Cyprus Flight Pass up to 24 hours before their flight.
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Dubai (UAE)
Dubai officially reopened for international tourism back in July, allowing passengers from all countries to visit, with standard visa requirements. In order to travel to Dubai, passengers will be required to install the Dubai health app and have proof of health insurance for the duration of their visit. Also, a negative PCR test taken no more than 96 hours prior to departure is mandatory. All passengers will be subjected to health screening upon arrival. There is no mandatory quarantine in place.
Egypt
Egypt resumed commercial flights and international tourism on July 1, 2020. Passengers from all countries are welcomed with standard visa requirements.
Passengers arriving from Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France (Paris only), Germany (Frankfurt only), Guyana, Italy (Rome only), Japan, Korea, Mexico, New-Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Thailand, USA, United Kingdom (London Heathrow only), Uruguay or Venezuela must have a negative PCR test result. The test must have been taken no longer than 96 hours before departure.
Passengers arriving from any other country must have a negative PCR test result taken no longer than 72 hours before departure. All passengers are also required to fill out a health declaration card, have a valid visa, and show proof of valid travel insurance.
Jordan
Jordan officially reopened for tourism in September. Similar to Cyprus, the government of Jordan divided the countries into three categories – Green, Yellow, and Red. Passengers arriving from countries marked as green will be required to bring a negative PCR test taken no longer than 72 hours prior to departure and take an additional PCR test upon arrival. If the test comes back as negative, no quarantine will be required. Passengers arriving for countries marked as yellow and red will also have to bring a negative PCR test taken no longer than 72 hours prior to departure and take an additional PCR test upon arrival. However, regardless of the result, a mandatory quarantine will be in place.
All passengers will also be required to fill out an online health declaration form and provide proof of travel insurance that covers COVID-19.
Lebanon
In July Lebanon started welcoming international tourists again. There are no restricted countries, but the regular visa rules are in place. Passengers arriving in Lebanon are required to bring a negative PCR test taken no longer than 96 hours prior to departure. Passengers arriving from countries where a PCR test is not possible will be required to take one upon arrival at their own expense.
Also, all passengers will be required to fill out an online health declaration form and provide proof of travel insurance that covers COVID-19.
Oman
Oman officially reopened for tourism very recently, on December 10, 2020. Passengers from 100 countries, which include Canada, the USA, and most of Europe, will be exempt from requiring an entry visa. However, passengers arriving without a visa will only be allowed to stay in Oman for a period of 10 days.
All passengers traveling to Oman will be tested upon arrival. Also, all passengers will be required to quarantine between 12h and 24h and wait for their test results. Passengers are also required to have travel insurance that covers COVID-19 and is valid for 1 month. Passengers will have to fill out an online pre-travel registration form before entering Oman.
Countries that are allowed entry to Oman visa-free:
-Albania
-Algeria
-Andorra
-Argentina
-Armenia
-Austria
-Azerbaijan
-Belarus
-Belgium
-Bhutan
-Bolivia
-Bosnia and Herzegovina
-Brazil
-Britain
-Brunei Darussalam
-Bulgaria
-Canada
-Chile
-China
-Colombia
-Costa Rica
-Croatia
-Cuba
-Cyprus
-Czech Republic
-Denmark
-Ecuador
-Egypt
-El Salvador
-Estonia
-Finland
-France
-Georgia
-Germany
-Ghana
-Greece
-Guatemala
-Honduras
-Hong Kong
-Hungary
-Iceland
-India
-Iran
-Ireland
-Italy
-Japan
-Jordan
-Kazakhstan
-Kyrgyzstan
-Laos
-Latvia
-Lebanon
-Liechtenstein
-Lithuania
-Luxembourg
-Macau
-Macedonia
-Malaysia
-Maldives
-Malta
-Mauritania
-Mexico
-Moldova
-Monaco
-Morocco
-Netherlands
-New Zealand
-Nicaragua
-Norway
-Panama
-Paraguay
-Peru
-Poland
-Portugal
-Romania
-Russia
-San Marino
-Serbia
-Seychelles
-Singapore
-Slovakia
-Slovenia
-South Africa
-South Korea
-Spain
-Surinam
-Sweden
-Switzerland
-Taiwan
-Tajikistan
-Thailand
-Tunisia
-Turkey
-Turkmenistan
-UK
-Ukraine
-Uruguay
-USA
-Uzbekistan