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Traveling to Italy via UK - need clarification

My wife and I are traveling to Italy next month to take a cruise from Trieste. Our flight from DC has a layover in Heathrow for an hour and a half. Due to that, Italy considers us as coming from the UK, and currently has in place a 5-day isolation period. We can't afford to lose 5 days since our cruise departs the day after we arrive. It's far too costly to try and rebook a flight that doesn't go through the UK at this point. I have gotten ZERO information from the State Dept, the airline (bought from American but the flights are operated by British Airways), or the Italian embassies in the UK and the US - each entity says, in effect, "call someone else." It's extremely frustrating. Italy has a provision whereby if you leave the country by "private vehicle" within 36 hours, you're exempt from the 5-day quarantine. If we drive to Slovenia from Italy, is that "leaving the country"? Our cruise effectively "leaves Italy" but we also have 2 port calls in Italy. Any help or guidance is greatly appreciated. We don't know what to do. Thanks.

Posted by
548 posts

Is your flight from LHR to Italy on the same ticket?

My husband and I are also flying to Italy via LHR on British Air. Our original ticket was to LHR. We were going to spend night of arrival in London, then continue to Rome the next day using EasyJet. If did that, we would have to quarantine. Called British Air to add Rome to the same ticket. Was told it would be cheaper to cancel our flight, get a voucher and rebook Orlando to Rome, changing planes at LHR.

That’s what we did. So - since we will just be “transiting” through LHR, no quarantine necessary.

You don’t say in your post if your flight to Italy is a continuation. If so, no problem.

Posted by
6177 posts

If we drive to Slovenia from Italy, is that "leaving the country"?

Probably, but then you might need to quarantine in Slovenia instead.

Any help or guidance is greatly appreciated. We don't know what to do.

As far as I can understand it, your only option is to rebook the flight. Either to a flight that arrives 5 days earlier to give time for quarantine. Or to a flight that doesn't stop in the UK. Given the situationen in the UK at the moment, the latter would be my option.

Posted by
495 posts

From the official Italian Travel Minister webpage: https://infocovid.viaggiaresicuri.it/returningtoitaly.html

In accordance with Ordinanza 18 giugno 2021 adopted by the Minister of Health, in force from June 21 to July 30, 2021, travellers coming from the UK or who have visited/transited the UK in the previous fourteen (14) days, must:
- Fill out a digital Passenger Locator Form,

- Present to the carrier, or any other authorized person, a document proving the negative result of a molecular or antigenic test, carried out by means of a swab, in the 48 hours before you arrive.
- Irrespective of the result of the test mentioned above, self-isolate for a period of five (5) days, informing your local Health Authority in order to activate health surveillance procedures.
- take a second test at the end of the 5-day self-isolation.

The rule about you can skip the quarantine if you leave the country within 120 hours is intended for professionals. For example a trucker coming for loading/unloading. In fact is applied: "anyone entering Italy for a period not exceeding 120 hours due to proven needs of work, health or absolute urgency, with the obligation, on expiry of that period, to leave the national territory immediately or, failing that, to begin the period of surveillance and fiduciary isolation;"

The rule you skip the quarantine if you are only transiting through Italy is possible, but you aren't travelling with your private means and, more important, you must stay in Slovenia or other countries for at least 14 days. "any person transiting, by private means, through Italian territory for a period not exceeding 36 hours, with the obligation, at the end of that period, to leave the national territory immediately or, failing that, to begin the period of surveillance and trustee isolation"

So, if your flight isn't a Covid-free one (to whom is still applied the exemption from quarantine), is probably better book a new one. Or cross your fingers and hope after the 30th of July the 5-days of quarantine aren't applied anymore.

Posted by
27 posts

Thanks to all who've replied so far.

Our flight to Venice from London is on the same ticket, we're flying from Washington DC and have a 90-minute layover in Heathrow. Despite that fact (and that we're both vaccinated), Italy considers us coming from the UK so the quarantine applies. However, when I called the Italian Ministry of Health yesterday, I was informed that our getting on a cruise ship within 36 hours of entering Italy DOES constitute "leaving the national territory of Italy." The issue is that our first port of call after boarding is still in Italy, so we might not be able to leave the ship. Ultimately it would be up to the cruise line whether to allow us to board or force us to stay in Italy for 5 days in quarantine. Doing that is impossible, my wife and I both work full-time and we can't afford to lose 5 days stuck in a quarantine hotel. If we had the time, we'd go visit friends of ours in Rome or Assisi and stay with them for the 5 days. We also can't afford to rebook, we got an incredible deal in Business Class (which we need, since my wife has terrible back problems and can't sit in Economy-the pain is excruciating), and rebooking now would cost more than we can afford. Basically, it comes down to this: either Italy drops the restrictions on UK arrivals (or considers passengers only transiting through the UK to be safe) or we cancel our trip altogether. I suppose there's a 3rd option, which is to rebook in a way that avoids the UK but doesn't cost an arm and a leg. One can only hope! For what it's worth, the man at the Ministry of Health I spoke with seemed optimistic that this rule will be dropped on 31 July.

Posted by
27 posts

I am sorry to jump back in here again so soon, but I have good news: long story short, I was able to switch flights with American and we're now flying out of JFK to Milan instead of London to Venice. Of course, it's a bit farther from Milan to our cruise embarkation city of Trieste, but the good news is no quarantine! And the best part is that the airline made the switch for free. I feel very relieved. There is the small matter of the cruise line (MSC) which currently only allows Schengen-area residents on board, but that allegedly expired on June 30 so we should be good to go. We have backup plans in case that falls through for some reason. :-)

Posted by
6177 posts

Great news, that is probably the best way to solve it. Milan to Trieste is an easy train ride and given the current situation in the UK avoiding Heathrow seems like a good idea.

Posted by
1090 posts

Very smart to change your ticket! That seems to be the only answer right now.

Sue, you will still be subject to the five day quarantine. There currently is no way around that if you are transiting through Heathrow. Regardless of what the airlines say, you need to watch the Italian authorities websites. We had a flight transiting through Heathrow and paid for a new flight that is direct from the US to FCO.

Posted by
29 posts

I also have a flight booked mid-August to Rome that transits through London for 2 hrs. I know as of now i'd have to quarantine for 5 days, and
that may or not change after July 31st. Can anyone tell me the best sites for checking up to date restrictions and rules of entry to Italy?
My husband will be coming from Kenya (on a business trip there for two weeks) to Italy also then. I can find no information at all about people coming from Kenya. Thank you!

Posted by
548 posts

Thanks April. Haven’t checked lately. Didn’t know it had changed. I guess we will wait and see if it changes again the end of July.

Posted by
1156 posts

If we understand correctly we have to take a Covid Tested flight from the U.S. According to the link listed above, the only COVID tested flights as of yesterday are from:
Therefore, as of today, it is possible for airlines to operate "Covid-tested" flights on the following routes:

Atlanta - Rome Fiumicino
New York - Rome Fiumicino
Atlanta - Milan Malpensa
New York - Milan Malpensa

We were under impression that Dallas to Rome was a Covid tested flight on American and almost bought a ticket, but according to this, Dallas to Rome is not listed here. Now when you go to the page that American sent me you get https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/covid-tested-flights.jsp which says the page must have taken flight. We have heard American is cancelling flights due to shortage of pilots. Anyone booked on American out of Dallas to Rome?

Posted by
5955 posts

no longer need a COVID tested flight to enter Italy
CDC vaccination card
OR
Negative test
OR
Proof of COVID recovery

Posted by
1156 posts

Awesome - thanks for the clarification!

Posted by
196 posts

Are there any updates on this topic? I am flying from the US to Heathrow, and then to Rome. I will never leave the airport. Does anyone know the current rule upon entering Italy in this situation?

Thank you!