The European Council has revised its recommendations to EU member states about which countries’ residents should be permitted to enter the member states for non-essential travel. Specifically, on July 30, the Council removed Algeria from the “Green List” of countries whose residents should be admissible, after removing Montenegro and Serbia on June 16, 2020.
The current “Green List” from the Council now includes Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. China is also included, subject to confirmation of reciprocity. The Council recommends that residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City be considered EU nationals for the purposes of its recommendation and also be permitted to enter for non-essential travel.
The Council’s recommendations are not legally binding and member state authorities can decide whether or how to implement the recommendations. Many EU and Schengen Area countries have elected to authorize entry for residents of some or all of the countries on the “Green List,” and/or to allow entry for certain travelers from third countries not on the list who are entering for an essential purpose. The latter may include those holding residence permits or visas issued by the EU/Schengen country and highly skilled workers whose work cannot be postponed or performed remotely, among others.
