Traveling to Europe from USA with E.U. passport in covid times

which country?

The EU is not monolithic

Eventually Switzerland but it seems everywhere is different right now and changing rapidly. Has anyone travelled anywhere in Europe recently ?

Suggest you check the website for the embassy of the country you wish to visit. It should tell you restrictions and regulations regarding COVID 19 testing, quarantining, etc.

Each country is determining their rules and restrictions regarding COVID.

Haha if they knew I wouldn’t be asking..also, the country websites do not specify this particular situation (EU National coming from the US)

Given the increase in restrictions as countries enter into their 2nd wave, what we say today may be totally irrelevant.
The other nuance is that you have an 'e.u.' passport. You would then need to follow the rules of EU member returning from US to EU as your passport citizenship is what dictates your entry.
Personally, it seems that the gift of keeping family healthy by spending a virtual Christmas - better ensuring future in person visits -would be the most considerate.

I'm very confused. You say that you have an "EU" (European Union) passport but that you will be going to Switzerland (eventually - whatever that means) but Switzerland is not in the EU...

For Germany it does not matter as to your passport if you are coming from a Robert Koch-Institut (RKI) designated "Risk Area." All of the US is a risk area and has been since 3 July. The RKI link below lists other "risk areas, so in most cases in the EU/EEA/EFTA you cannot freely travel into Germany. The complete country of Switzerland has been considered a risk area (since 24 October). The complete country United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Gibraltar is considered as risk area. Excluded are further British Overseas Territories, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey) (since 24 October).
Persons entering the Federal Republic of Germany, who have spent time in a risk area at any specific period within 14 days prior to entry, are subject to a mandatory Covid-19 test (from 8 August 2020) and may be subject to quarantine under the specific quarantine ordinances issued by the competent federal state (Land). Please note: The Federal Government examines, on an ongoing basis, the extent to which areas are to be classified as risk areas. As a result, this list can be modified at short notice and, above all, may be extended. Directly before embarking on your journey, please check whether you have spent time in one of these areas in the last 14 days before entering Germany. Should this be the case, you must expect to be subject to mandatory testing and quarantine.
In general you would be tested in the airport with a direct flight, and then be required to quarrentine for 14 days or until a negitive test result is returned. Bundeskanzlerin Merkel and the Ministerpräsidenten are meeting tomorrow and increased Coronavirus restrictions are expected. The Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt was canceled yesterday along with many more German Weihnachtsmarkt over the last few weeks.
https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete_neu.html

A lot (though not all) of the travel restrictions in Europe have to do with where you are coming from/where you reside, not the nationality of your passport. I won’t wade into all the different variations and exceptions but I’d encourage contacting the local embassy of the country you want to go to - I have had good success getting clear answers to my questions from the embassies in London of the countries I was trying to visit.

Thanks that’s helpful

I would be concerned with getting to Europe and then getting stuck, like my niece did in March. She eventually got out but it was very stressful and expensive.

Right now it's changing daily. The holidays are two months away. I traveled to Europe as a European citizen six weeks ago and started with info on my consulate website. However, even better the North American elected representative for overseas citizens of your second country can keep you informed. Assuming you vote in the elections of your European country, you should know who your representative is. Get on that person's mailing list for information on border openings-closings, and PCR testing. I receive notification with each change. A bunch of non-citizen strangers on the internet can't tell you anything, only a government representative for overseas citizens. Be sure you are registered with your consulate. Nobody on this Forum, and I've been in contact with these peeps for years, could tell me how to proceed traveling to my EU country. Only your official rep and consulate can give you the rules and fellow citizens can give you pointers.

The passport does not matter, is where you are coming from. Since you are coming from a place that has 4% of the world's population and 20% of the world's Covid deaths, forget it and make other plans.

Sorry, that’s incorrect, Irv. If this person has the passport, he/she can go as of this moment. I have the passport; I went to Europe from the US last month. What the country requires upon arrival varies by country: PCR test before boarding the plane, or PCR test within a certain time limit before landing, or testing upon landing at the airport, or quarantine upon arrival, or a combo of the above. BUT thIs person’s EU country could also close the border to overseas citizens again, which happened in the spring. But this goes to show that no one here, myself included, has a reliable answer.

Maria F this person needs to enter and exit the EU Passport control with the EU passport, but this person needs to reenter the US passport control with the US passport.

Now should the person go? Personally, I ‘ve told my sons and their families, all dual citizens, not to come join us for the holidays as they had been planning. The countries have enough to deal with with this surge in cases.

Interestingly, as of August, Switzerland’s regime WAS specifically based on passport/nationality - I wrote to the Swiss embassy in London for advice and they told me that only UK/EU/EFTA citizens and their family members could enter. Obviously OP should get current advice, but that’s encouraging for their ability to enter Switzerland, should they decide to do so.

Yea, its a bit of a mess and all the RS experts are having trouble following it. I'll mix it up a bit more. There are a couple of EU countries I know you can get into on either passport. They do require a COVID test before arriving. Once in one of those countries you "might" be able to go on to Switzerland or other places.

My December trip has me entering through Istanbul. Then with a PCR test at the Istanbul airport I can get into Montenegro. From Montenegro no test is required to get into Croatia (which otherwise would require a test if you came from the US).

Of course by December this could all be upside down. Thats why I bought CFAR trip insurance. Also why Istanbul. Because if I can make it that far, there are all sorts of connections and I can change my plans or just spend a week in Istanbul.

If you are comfortable about travel right now, then follow all the rules and go for it. Yes, difficult, but sometimes the challenge is worth it. Interesting a person who just went to Europe is telling you not to.

Thanks Bets. I have edited my post.

Comment:
"Suggest you check the website for the embassy of the country you wish to visit. It should tell you restrictions and regulations regarding COVID 19 testing, quarantining, etc.
Each country is determining their rules and restrictions regarding COVID."

Reply:

Haha if they knew I wouldn’t be asking..also, the country websites do not specify this particular situation (EU National coming from the US)

Am I understanding this as you meant it? You are saying the the websites of the country/countries you plan to travel to do not have their entry rules posted, but you expect folks here to know?

There are some very knowledgeable folks here, but your optimism may be unwarranted

Margret, this person says he/she has an EU passport.

Anyway, Italy has a 6pm curfew, we have a 9pm.
Correction: Italy has an 11 pm curfew, but restaurants must close by 6 pm.

In addition, here in France, the President will address the country tomorrow night. They are hinting at a 4-week lockdown. Note that this lockdown is timed to allow families to reunite at Christmas. Size of family group is controlled. Right now, it’s six.

Anyone thinking of coming to Europe has to find out if you'll be allowed to join family or if you'll cause the group to be to large.

So, if there are 7 in your family, one has to go to a motel for Christmas?

Or risk a fine if caught, unless it's the nuclear family that is already above six. No one has to dispose of a child or two.

"Rule of 6" throughout the UK now too, except in places in Tier 3 in England, Tier 2, 3, or 4 in Scotland or all of Wales or Northern Ireland where it is even stricter.

I read that Wales and Ireland are in lockdown, too. Is that correct?

Rule of 6" throughout the UK now too, except in places in Tier 3 in England, Tier 2,3, or 4 in Scotland or all of Wales or Northern Ireland where it is even stricter.

And in his spare time Nigel writes the 'fine print' for insurance policies. ( or do all those tiers refer to wedding cakes?)

My other comment would have been "and on Friday it will be different"

I don't follow the Republic but I believe so.

Wales is in a full lockdown for a 16 day "fire break".

Once again until there's an effective vaccine nothing much changes. Maybe I should say a vaccine that is distributed to the masses, sometime (hopefully) next year.

Bets, I know - that’s why I provided the information about Switzerland basing their entry rules entirely on nationality! The OP should be able to enter there* as they have an EU passport, and I understand from the OP’s post that that is their destination. It was unfortunate news for me (American passport, not allowed to enter Switzerland despite the fact that I haven’t set foot in the US since last year), but good news for the OP.

*The OP should double check that information - that came from an email response from the Swiss embassy in London back in August. No reason to think it’s changed, but better to rely on official advice than strangers on the internet.

For a second there I thought someone was saying a vaccine was necessary to enter Switzerland. That would mean you would have to enter through Russia. But each country's theory on safe entry or necessary entry is very interesting. A lot of countries thinking through things different ways. This sort of thing fascinates me. Excellent thread.

Emma, nobody wants to argue with an English scientist. Robert Hooke tried that with Newton, and we all know how that story ended. Nobody anywhere is stating a vaccine is an "all clear" sign, but it is our best hope within the next year. Remaining hopeful based on reasonable scientific possibility while not banking on anything is a positive characteristic.

No one is getting their soul destroyed by any guarantees. Nothing wrong with hope.

Hope springs eternal.

Or it’s the hope that kills you......

Never heard of death by dreaming.

So many people on here over the months have been “hopefully” planning
trips that didn’t materialise.

Some of us planned trips that did materialize. I would suspect more often than has been stated here because of the negativity.

Being realistic is not the same as being negative. Always better to
plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised than be overly
optimistic/hopeful and get a nasty surprise.

Not sure I have seen much "overly optimistic" attitude on the forum lately. Hopeful maybe. Realistic is planning a December trip and buying CFAR trip insurance to cover it if things go south.

We will come out the other side of this whether it’s due to vaccines,
treatments, or more likely, a combination of both

We agree on occasion

but will happen in its own time no matter how much people hopefully
wish it will happen next week, next month or next year.

I will continue to hope it happens sooner rather than later. Just my personality to hope for the best.

And totally off topic but you brought him up Mike, I was just
listening to an excellent doc on radio 4 about Margaret Cavendish’s
dealings with Hooke and the Royal Society...what a woman!

A great woman? Not a great person or great individual or great philosopher or great poet or great scientist? No need to put limits on her, she's a pretty amazing human being and should be compared against the world, not one segment of the world.

True that in Europe there's much less talk of a vaccine, which is why I prefer to say resolution/ solution, which casts a larger net.

However, unless you've lived in the States at this moment, you have no idea how traumatic it is. On top of it, people who are writing are wearing masks, are being cautious, are working to keep themselves and others healthy, but they are prisoners inside a situation that is out of control in many ways. I was in the States until last month when I left for Europe. I heard plenty of criticism of government action in France, England, etc but there's no comparison, no matter how many errors our European leaders have made in this guessing game pandemic. It's traumatic in the States at this moment.

So, if someone wants to pin his hopes on a vaccine or plan a hypothetical vacation, if this is what keeps them sane while they are living under a government that admits it's doing nothing, but only waiting for a vaccine, then they should just go ahead. Reality has it's merits, but people need escape.

We start another 4-week lockdown at 12:01 tonight. I bet most of the people whom I know in the States would gladly lockdown again if it would make a difference. They aren't given the option.

Both attitudes have their strong points, and I know what you mean because the hope for a vaccine is a very American conversation, and the only conversation promoted by the Federal government and many States. I noticed the difference between the US and European outlook for a way forward immediately.

However, given the situation, I think that without plans and hope many people will become depressed. No one needs depression on top of threatening disease, job loss, death, financial ruin, and more that I won’t mention. People need a safety valve on the pressure cooker. It will all work out eventually.

However, given the situation, I think that without plans and hope many
people will become depressed. No one needs depression on top of
threatening disease, job loss, death, financial ruin, and more that I
won’t mention. People need a safety valve on the pressure cooker. It
will all work out eventually.

Bets, I gotta say, when you are right, you are soooooooooooooooo right!