This page is a record, not the rules in force
It describes the conditions for entering Austria that applied in 2021. Austria has lifted the travel restrictions linked to covid-19 and nothing below applies any more.
What applies today when you travel to Austria can be found at oesterreich.gv.at. We keep this page as a record.
Updated 07.07.2021
Entry from the Czech Republic
Residents of the Czech Republic may enter Austria on condition that they present a certificate of “freedom from infection” in the prescribed form, covering a negative test, vaccination or recovery from covid-19 (the 3G rule).
Vaccinated people
Austria recognises proof of vaccination:
- at the earliest on the 22nd day after the 1st dose of a vaccine, if it is a two-dose vaccine (the first dose is valid for 3 months),
- after the second dose of a vaccine (the vaccination is valid for 9 months from the first dose),
- at the earliest on the 22nd day after vaccination with a vaccine that is single-dose (it is valid for 9 months from the first dose),
- at any time after vaccination, provided that at least 21 days before the vaccination a positive PCR test was taken or the presence of neutralising antibodies was proven (the vaccination is valid for 9 months from the vaccination). This currently applies to the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Serum Institute of India, Sinopharm and Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccines.
Tested people
Proof of a negative test result (in English or German):
- an antigen test must not be older than 48 hours,
- a PCR test must not be older than 72 hours from the moment the sample was taken.
People who have had covid
A medical/official certificate (in German or English) or a medical confirmation form (in German or English) of having had the illness in the last 6 months is accepted, or proof that neutralising antibodies were found in the last 3 months.
Children
Children under the age of 12 years (under 6 years for a stay in Vienna) are not covered by the 3G requirement, so they do not have to be tested either, if they travel with an adult. If children under the age of 10 travel on their own, without an adult, the ordinary entry rules for adults apply to them (presenting proof of 3-G).
For minors aged 12 to 18 years (6 to 18 years for a stay in Vienna) the rule is that if they enter the country without proof of vaccination or recovery, they must present a negative test result or a medical confirmation of a negative test result. If they cannot present it on arrival, they must take a test (PCR/antigen) within 24 hours of arriving in Austria.
Arrival form
Since 10.6.2021 electronic registration before entering Austria is not required on entry from the Czech Republic and other low-risk countries when freedom from infection is proven (a certificate of a test or of vaccination or of recovery from covid-19). If these conditions are not met, the arrival form has to be filled in.
Conditions on the spot
- in restaurants the 3-G rule applies: access only for tested, recovered or vaccinated people (it does not apply to fast-food stands),
- a current 3-G certificate is required to use accommodation, restaurants, wellness and fitness studios, and tests have to be renewed for this purpose,
- guests have to register in restaurants, hotels, at cultural events and during leisure activities indoors and outdoors (with exceptions, e.g. in zoos, outdoor pools, etc.),
- face masks or a higher category of protection have to be worn in indoor, enclosed spaces (public transport, shops, etc.).
What to do if you catch covid
Anyone who falls ill with covid-19 in Austria or comes into contact with an infected person must report it immediately to a doctor in that place or to the responsible provincial authority or municipal office. Guests staying in accommodation also report the suspected illness to the accommodation provider. The doctor in charge decides what happens next.
Depending on the circumstances, the doctor sets the form of quarantine, which may take place either in the accommodation or in another facility. The cost of a stay in a special facility during an officially ordered quarantine is paid by the Austrian state.
With the doctor’s consent and under the conditions the doctor sets, a tourist may be transported home. Taking out insurance for this purpose is recommended.
Transit
People who only drive through Austria do not have to present a negative covid-19 test, or a vaccination certificate, or register, if the journey takes place WITHOUT A STOP (an exceptional break for the strictly necessary time, e.g. to visit a toilet or change to a train or bus, is allowed) and the exit from the country is also assured (you prove that you only want to transit the country, for example, with enough fuel in the tank).
Useful contacts
- Embassy of the Czech Republic in Vienna:
Tel.: 0043 899 58 111,
e-mail: consulate_vienna@mzv.cz
- Corona-Hotline - Austria AGES:
Tel.: +43 1 3860 555,
email: buergerservice@sozialministerium.at
- health line (Austria) 1450,
- police (Austria) 133.
Detailed information:
Return to the Czech Republic
From 9.7.2021 the rules for returning to the Czech Republic change for:
- vaccinated people (with vaccination completed + 14 days) and people who have had COVID-19, with no need for tests, only with the arrival form,
- children up to the age of 6 years, with no need for tests or an arrival form,
- everyone else, with an obligation to test, and self-isolation where applicable.
Details of the measures on the website
Change to the rules for returning to the Czech Republic from 9.7.2021
Summary information on travel to every country in the world is on the pages