Press Releases

The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works announces that the Council of Ministers approved, during yesterday’s meeting, a new Action Plan for the smooth operation of flights and the operation of airports. The new Action Plan enters into force on 18 April 2022.

In particular, the new Action Plan provides for the following:

A. Categorisation of countries:

As of 18 April 2022, the categorisation of countries according to their epidemiological situation is abolished.

B. CyprusFlightPass:

As of 18 April 2022, the obligation to complete and hold the CyprusFlightPass is abolished.

C. Conditions for entering the Republic of Cyprus:

As of 18 April 2022, for travel purposes to the Republic of Cyprus, passengers must fulfil the following preconditions and carry with them the required documentation:

1.    Vaccinated or Recovered passengers:

Vaccinated or recovered passengers, regardless of nationality, will be able to travel to and enter the Republic of Cyprus from any country of departure, without having the obligation to undergo a laboratory examination, provided that they fulfil one of the following conditions:  

• They hold a digital European or equivalent from third countries COVID-19 Certificate of Vaccination or Recovery.
• They hold a valid vaccination certificate from the competent authorities of any third country, provided that the required doses of a vaccine accepted by the Republic of Cyprus have been completed.

      i.        the vaccination certificate is considered acceptable only if all the following conditions apply:

• It has been issued by the public authorities of the countries.
• The vaccine is one of the following: Johnson&Johnson/Janssen, AstraZeneca, (Vaxzervia, COVISHIELD, SKBio), Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac), Sinopharm (BBIBPCOVID-19), CovaVax, Sinovac (CoronaVac), Covaxin, Sputnik Light (only as booster dose in basic vaccination scheme) and Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19.
• Passengers aged 18 and over: For travel purposes, the passenger should also have received the booster 3rd dose in the case of a two-dose vaccine or the 2nd dose in the case of a single dose vaccine, of one of the above mentioned vaccines, provided that the 3^rd or 2^nd dose respectively has not expired. The vaccination certificates of passengers who have received two doses of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a single dose vaccine shall be accepted only if a period of 9 months has not elapsed since the administration of the 2nd dose in the case of a two-dose vaccine or one dose in the case of a single dose vaccine, respectively.
• Passengers under the age of 18: For travel purposes, the passenger is considered to have completed his/her vaccination scheme if he/she has received the 2nd dose in the case of a two-dose vaccine or one dose in the case of a single dose vaccine, provided that the 2^nd or the 1^stdose respectively has not expired.
• With the exception of Johnson&Johnson/Janssen vaccine, for which a period of 14 days must have elapsed between the administration of the dose of the vaccine and the date of travel, passengers may travel to the Republic of Cyprus immediately upon completion of the required doses of the accepted vaccines.

    ii.        The digital European or equivalent from third countries Certificate of Recovery is considered acceptable only if all the following conditions apply:

• It has been issued by the public authorities of the countries.
• The journey date does not exceed 180 days from the first positive result.

For check purposes upon arrival, passengers must present their vaccination certificate or recovery certificate in printed or electronic form.

It is noted that passengers who have been vaccinated or have recovered in countries which have joined the EU Digital COVID Certificate system, are allowed to travel to the Republic of Cyprus only if they hold as evidence a valid European digital or equivalent from third countries COVID-19 Certificate of Vaccination or Recovery.

2. Passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate:

Passengers who have not been vaccinated or do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate, regardless of nationality, may travel to and enter the Republic of Cyprus from any country of departure, if they fulfil one of the following conditions:

• They have undergone a laboratory molecular examination (RT-PCR) 72 hours prior to departure, or
• They have undergone a Rapid antigen test 24 hours prior to departure.

Persons under the age of 12 are not required to present a negative PCR or rapid test certificate.

For check purposes, passengers aged 12 years or over, who do not hold a vaccination or recovery certificate must present their test result in printed or electronic form.

It is clarified that self-tests from passengers who do not hold a valid vaccination or recovery certificate (as described above) are not accepted for travelling to the Republic of Cyprus.

It is understood that in case of a random test upon arrival, either a RT-PCR test or Rapid antigen test or both, all passengers with no exception must comply. In case of refusal, they shall be subject to government quarantine for a period of 10 days, unless they carry out a PCR laboratory examination before the end of that period. The cost of quarantine and laboratory testing will be borne by the passenger.

It is stressed that persons travelling to the Republic of Cyprus must fulfil the above conditions, whether it concerns a vaccination certificate, a recovery certificate or a negative test certificate. Any attempt to enter the Republic without fulfilling the above conditions constitutes an offence, in accordance with the Out-of-Court Settlement Laws of 1997 to 2021, which provide for an out-of-the-court fine of EUR 300.

It is also noted that the existing measures at Larnaka and Pafos Airports remain in force until 17 April 2022.

(MPO/NG)