Global travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be extended until 15 May

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is maintaining its global advice against non-essential travel to all countries. This advice currently applies until 15 May 2021.

‘Now is still not the time to travel. The Government is extending its global travel advice against all non-essential travel until 15 May, and this may be extended further. Given the current infection situation, it would not be wise to ease restrictions or withdraw the global travel advice. It is too early to say how long the advice will have to remain in place, but we urge everyone to refrain from making travel plans for spring and early summer at this stage,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide.

The decision to extend the global travel advice has been taken on the basis of a variety of factors, including the global Covid-19 situation, new measures to counter the outbreak of new variants of the virus, the capacity of other countries’ health services and the travel restrictions that apply in other countries.

The health authorities will continue to review the infection situation in the Schengen area/EEA weekly, and the global travel advice will be updated on the basis of their findings. For an updated overview of the relevant countries and regions that are excepted from the travel advice, see the Institute of Public Health’s map showing the status for quarantine on entry to Norway and the Ministry’s travel information. Read more about entry to Norway here. 

The travel advice is advisory. It is not a ban. However, if you travel to a country against the Ministry’s advice, there may be implications for your travel insurance. You should also be aware that the Foreign Service’s capacity to provide consular assistance may be limited in countries for which travel advice has been issued. At worst, the Foreign Service will not be able to provide consular assistance if you have problems.

It also important to note that the Government has made changes to the hotel quarantine scheme. Anyone returning from a non-essential trip abroad will have to undergo quarantine at a designated hotel on their return to Norway at their own cost, even if they have a fixed residential address in Norway where they would previously have been able to stay during the quarantine period.

‘It is too early to say anything about how the infection situation is likely to develop towards the summer. The situation for travellers is still unpredictable, with strict restrictions and high infection levels in many countries. Just how long we will have to keep the global travel advice in place will depend on infection levels, the burden of disease, and vaccination coverage in Norway and abroad. Many people are missing loved ones who live far away, and we do not want to maintain the advice for any longer than is necessary,’ said Ms Eriksen Søreide.

Facts

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued travel advice for approximately 50 countries. Travel advice is issued on the basis of an overall safety and security assessment. Since March 2020, the spread of the coronavirus has been one of the assessment criteria.