What is the current situation regarding travel to Austria

A snowHead

It's expired, they only last a month, we had the same issue with the old docs we'd used in December. Get on the NHS website and get new ones.

As a plus Obergurgl was bloody brilliant today, perfect weather and snow. Its forecast for the same all week and the slopes are very quiet.

A snowHead

Funny with the vax certs, we'd got through Manchester and Innsbruck Airport checks with expired docs. It was only found when the hotel checked us in and scanned it. Just shows what a joke it is. Pcr test cert was a cursory glance, you could photoshop it in seconds should you be that way inclined. Our hotel is half full because of all this, it's time to move on.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I only got mine on the 21st, it's an Irish one. My wife's one is fine, but that was 3 jabs of Pfizer

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Have a look below the qr code there's an expiry date on it. Irish might be shorter duration?

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@Shunt, In theory the Irish certificates are valid for a couple of years unlike the UK ones which are only valid for a month for some odd reason. However from the 1st February there is an EU wide 9 month validity coming in, though some places seem to want to do 6 months. I know Austria is odd with the J&J shot which has caused grief for a few Irish & lots of Dutch folk.

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"Recovered in the last 180 days" - does anyone know when in the U.K. process that 180 day clock starts? Is it from the date of the recorded positive PCR, or some default date after that (10/14 days?)

It's not actually noted on the recovery pass in the app, but I'm guessing it must be encoded into the QR code.

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@ratechaser, my daughter has the recovered QR code in the App, the Austrian border police are only interested that you have had the booster, which along with the PCR test is the entry requirement, if you want to avoid quarantine

After all it is free

@ratechaser, then its quarantine for the 2 jabs person, I’ve been through this with my daughter, so can understand the frustration.

You need to be boosted and a negative PCR

https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/en/themen/coronavirus_in_oesterreich/pre-travel-clearance.html

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@ratechaser, pasted below from the link I shared, I thought the same, my daughter came out of quarantine 22 December, received booster 7 January, negative PCR on 12 January .

To buy a lift pass , enter a shop,restaurant, bar you need the booster QR code.

2. Entry from virus variant areas and states (Appendix 1): pre-travel clearance form, molecular test (e.g. PCR) and quarantine

Entry from virus variant areas and countries is only possible to a very limited extent. Essentially, only Austrian citizens and EU/EEA citizens and persons with residence or habitual abode in Austria may enter the country. Entry for humanitarian reasons or in the compelling interest of the Republic is also possible. In addition, there are further exceptions.

Due to the current data situation regarding Omicron, entry from virus variant areas for triple-vaccinated persons is possible without quarantine if a negative PCR test is available that is no more than 48 hours old.

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@radar, well if that really is the case then austria.info, Crystal, gov.uk and several other places I've checked are all reporting incorrect information. But let's break this down into "country entry" versus "doing stuff once you're in", as you are talking about the latter.

For that, 2G rules apply which are generic to everyone - there should be no differentiation between people coming from virus variant areas and everyone else. And 2G means fully vaccinated OR recovered (or 'ninja pass') - no mention of a booster. So unless a restaurant or ski lift is checking where you've come from, how on earth could they demand that you're boosted?

Is this your practical experience on the ground or more a case of your interpretation of what is written?

@ratechaser, I'm here now my second week, my daughter came out last Friday

Entry, you can come in using the Appendix 1 form but must quarantine if you haven't had the booster " Due to the current data situation regarding Omicron, entry from virus variant areas for triple-vaccinated persons is possible without quarantine if a negative PCR test is available that is no more than 48 hours old"

What you can do when you are here, entry to ski , shop, eat or drink, you need the booster they will either use the green pass check or visually verify that you have had the booster. They have become more stringent as I have been in Austria.

You know it makes sense.

@radar, wow Puzzled

Well, all I can say is my commiserations. This is totally at odds to what I've read and blows out of the water the idea that being recovered plus double jabbed is a solution for teenagers that are too old for Ninja.

This is really a big deal, as multiple official or authoritative sources are reporting patently incorrect information. Surprised that this hasn't been flagged up already...

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I’m referring to the adult requirements, children is challenging and as we don’t have any under 21 I won’t comment on their requirements

Thank you no commiserations needed, my daughter got out here, though it was stressful with gaining a negative PCR test.

A snowHead

@radar, phew, well I'm glad you are ok then. "Children" is another sticky point because anyone born before 1 December 2006 is considered an adult under the regs (and can't go 'ninja') which captures most 16yos and up. And of course, most of them won't have had a chance to get boosted yet. So we have been banking on 'recovered+2 jabs'. I'm wondering if there are some semantics in play here, as the austria.info site states:

"If you have recovered from Covid and received two jabs (no matter in what order), this counts as a booster as well. Please note: The proof of recovery is only valid for 180 days. In any case, you still need a negative PCR test (valid 48 hours)."

So if 'booster' is defined more widely in the regs, this could still be ok... but I'm now a lot less confident than I was an hour ago!

A snowHead

@ratechaser, the UK is a variant country hence the different restrictions.

You might want to use the Austrian travel form to check requirements, there is a link to it in the link I shared.

There has been some extensive comments further back on the requirements for children.

Hope you get it sorted

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Can't be much longer now before the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway are removed from Austria's virus variant country list. Omicron is the dominant strain in all of Europe (and many other parts of the world), including Austria.

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Just got through! Relief
Flew Jet2 from Stansted to Innsbruck. Plane about half full. There’s several army personnel at Innsbruck carrying out the checks. I’d say they looked at the documents for no more than a second each. Small discrepancies or abnormalities would go completely unnoticed. Very swift overall.
My first ski holiday ever has begun in Sölden, so excited!
Good luck to everyone else, don’t panic, it’s never as tricky as you think.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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I know review is marked for end Jan, but am I right in the best we can hope for is losing the PCR requirement? I can’t see any way around the problem of older UK teens not having the booster being announced?

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From https://www.austria.info/en/service-and-facts/coronavirus-information/entry-regulations

updated on January 12th.

After all it is free

Am I missing something that’s been changed on Jan 12t? Reading it over and over but seems the same?

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@james75, Ah thanks

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@james75, as I mentioned in my previous post my comments only apply to adults, the bit you have posted from the Austrian Tourist board had a comment saying travellers from the UK click here which takes you to the Embassy site, below is the bit on using Apendix I. The link I shared takes you to the government website.

“The obligation to present a negative test result or a medical certificate of a negative test result for people does not apply, if a medical certificate according to appendix H or Appendix I can be presented, that meets the following requirements:

proof of an infection with SARS-CoV-2 that occurred within the last 90 days and ended at the time the certificate was issued;
the certificate was issued not earlier than 14 days after the initial detection or the onset of symptoms,
you have not had any symptoms at least 48 hours before the certificate was issued and have a
confirmation that, despite the presence of a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2, based on the medical laboratory findings, it can be assumed that there is no longer any risk of infection.
The obligation to self-isolate, however, remains.”

It was a challenge for me to get to grips with it, thanks to some very helpful local snowheads I got there

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@radar, that last paragraph is crazy! They accept there is no infection risk but you still have to isolate!

@Gilly28, I can thank @Chris_n, for making me aware of that, we then had to hope that my daughter would get a negative PCR.

You know it makes sense.

It's complicated to know exactly what's required and there are so many scenarios for different age groups!

It took me ages to figure out what was required for my two teenage daughters and am still unsure!!!

Many thanks to a lot of snowheads for advice on here.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@radar, yeah I have been aware of the scenario I just still can’t believe it and keep hoping they will see sense! I was positive on Dec 21st and going 5th Feb so hoping that I am negative.

A snowHead

@Gilly28, from a my earlier post, “my daughter came out of quarantine 22 December, received booster 7 January, negative PCR on 12 January”

So you have a bit longer, I hope it all works out for you.

A snowHead

@radar, thanks yeah fingers crossed. Just now have to get 14 year old 2nd (we booked when they said 2nd could be in 8 weeks, now changed to 12 unless vulnerable etc.) it’s never ending!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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@facedown did the hotel check your PCR as well?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

How do you go about generating a recovery QR code? Hoping not to need it for our half term trip but you never know what could happen!

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

The order that states

Hi all, I'm off to Ellmau on 5th Feb and will download as well as take printed copies of NHS QR code (might get one laminated of I get around to it).

So, where am I likely to need to show this? Assume at Gatwick, then at Salzburg, arrival at hotel and when entering shops, cafes, bars etc? I'll buy my list pass from the ticket office... Will they want to see it to link it up too or is the QR code checked at every lift (please say no!)?

Also... Is everything pretty much cashless now like in the UK?

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When in Austria, passed border. is it the 2G rule that is scanned for.

e.g. 16 year old that is double vaxxed. i scanned the QR code with green pass and is passing 2G.

Does that then enable said 16 year old to get lift pass etc.

Help!!

What is the current situation regarding travel to Austria

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