Nicosia, 14 July 2021 (MIA) – The Cypriot Health Ministry has released an updated list of countries whose nationals are allowed entry into Cyprus. North Macedonia remains in the Orange Category, meaning  Macedonian nationals are required to present negative results of a PCR test done up to 72 hours prior to arrival on the island, MIA reports from Athens.

European Union member states and third countries are divided in three categories based on their epidemiological situation: green, orange and yellow. Special rules apply for each category. Countries that are not mentioned in these categories are considered to belong in the Grey Category.

North Macedonia was moved last week from the Red into the Orange Category.

Green Category countries are low risk countries. Passengers coming from the 30 Green Category countries are not required to hold a COVID-19 test certificate or self-isolate.

Orange Category countries are countries with possibly low risk but greater uncertainty compared to the Green Category. 20 countries are currently in the Orange Category: Ireland, Netherlands, Greece, Luxembourg, Belgium, Andorra, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia, United States of America, Japan, Canada, Qatar, China, Lebanon, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Serbia.

Passengers coming from Orange Category countries are required to undergo a PCR laboratory test within 72 hours prior to departure and to possess a certificate showing a negative PCR result. Moreover, they may undergo the molecular examination upon arrival in Cyprus.

This categorization of countries will take effect on 15 July 2021.

In regard to vaccinated tourists, the Health Ministry of Cyprus said that as of 10 May they are exempted from the obligation of laboratory testing and self-isolation/quarantine if they hold a valid certificate of vaccination issued by the following states: EU Member States, EEA Member States, Switzerland, Israel, United Kingdom, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Belarus, Serbia, Qatar, Bahrein, United States of America, Armenia, Georgia, Canada, Kuwait, and China.

Moreover, they must be vaccinated either with one of the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Janssen), or with the Sputnik V, Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccine. It is noted that 14 days must have elapsed between the administration of the second dose of the vaccine and the date of travel.

It is also noted that all passengers, regardless of the country’s category, are obliged to apply for the CyprusFlightPass form, available at https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/ , 48 hours before the departure of their flight.