MAE: Romanians allowed into Austria if testing negative for COVID-19 72 hours before entering

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that the Austrian authorities issued on Friday evening a new ordinance reviewing the transit and entry conditions in this country for persons coming from Romania, the main changes being the reduction of the validity period of the biological-molecular test for SARS-CoV-2 from 4 days to 72 hours and the reduction of the isolation period from 14 days to 10 days.

"According to the new provisions, starting with July 27 this year, at 00:00, the access of Romanian citizens and EU member states coming from Romania to the Republic of Austria is allowed if they have a negative molecular test for SARS-CoV-2, no longer 72 hours old, certified by a certificate in German or English. In its absence, the persons concerned and those living with them shall be required to undergo isolation for 10 days at home or in a suitable location, upon entry in the Republic of Austria, whose costs must be supported the respective person. If a molecular biological test for SARS-CoV-2 performed during the isolation period is negative, the isolation established during the 10 days shall be suspended," informs a communication conveyed by the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry on Saturday evening.

If the foreign national is unable to present the medical certificate or proof of adequate accommodation, the Austrian authorities will not allow entry into the territory of the Republic of Austria.

The new provisions also apply to Romanian tourists.

For third-country (non-EU) citizens coming from Romania, entry is allowed only with a molecular biological test for SARS-CoV-2 negative, but they are obliged to enter solitary confinement at home or in a suitable location for 10 days, at their own expense. If they cannot prove the existence of adequate housing for isolation, they are denied access.

Transit is allowed on a permanent basis, without stopping, for citizens who come from Romania and who go to destinations in other states. Local authorities may require the that supporting documents be presented to ensure entry into the country of destination: domicile / residence / right of residence / employment contract / any other proof of the need for entry, for example a certificate of necessary medical treatment, studies, etc., as well as completing a transit declaration. It is available at the following link:

https://www.bmeia.gv.at/fileadmin/user_upload/Vertretungen/Bukarest/Dokumente/Beilage_B__Formular_Ein-Durchreise_2020-07-17-Englisch.pdf.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds that flights to and from Romania remain suspended.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also adds that it will continue the dialogue with the Austrian authorities and will publicly communicate the novelty elements that will be officially transmitted by the Austrian side.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds Romanian citizens that they can request consular assistance at the telephone numbers of the Romanian Embassy in Vienna: 0043 1 503 24 65 and 0043 1 505 23 81, the calls being redirected to the Contact and Support Center for Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and taken over by Call Center operators, on a permanent basis. Also, the Romanian citizens who face a difficult, special situation, with an emergency character, have at their disposal the emergency telephone number of the diplomatic mission 0043 699 117 26027.

Moreover, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recommends that people should consult the websites: https://www.mae.ro/node/51901 and http://viena.mae.ro/.