We knew we were headed to Poland just 6 days before our departure. We knew we wanted to head to Eastern Europe, but it was just as matter as to which countries would relax travel restrictions for Americans and Canadians, and if we could fly without Quarantine upon arrival.
On June 19, Polish authorities announced that they would be allowing arrivals from the U.S. and Canada and eight other countries outside the Schengen (European Union) region to fly to Poland without quarantine. We waited a couple of days to see if Hungary, which was initially at the top of our list, would relax any restrictions as well. However, after contacting their Foreign Ministry and Tourism Board, as well as reading about their latest announcement, there wasn’t going to be an opportunity for us to go there. Therefore, we decided to make Poland our first stop on our year adventure.
We did think our plans might be squashed when on June 25 we read that Poland had implemented a 10-day quarantine for any arrivals from outside the European Union, due to a scare of the spreading of the Delta variant. However, there was an exemption for fully vaccinated people, so we were safe.
Therefore, please be advised this information is based on the information that was shared on June 25, 2021. As travel restrictions are constantly evolving, it’s always best to check to confirm with a solid source prior to booking and confirm that it is possible to travel to Poland without quarantine. For information regarding EU countries admissions and changes to travel restrictions we have found the Schengen Visa Info Website to be very helpful.
What is Required to Travel to Poland without restrictions?
For residents outside the EU, the only way to fly to Poland without quarantine is to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with one of the authorized vaccines by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Can Unvaccinated, Non-EU people visit Poland without restrictions?
No, non-EU people who are not fully vaccinated will be subject to a ten-day mandatory quarantine. They also need to provide a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival. (There was also a testing site at the Warsaw Airport.) However, individuals can shorten their quarantine if they have a negative Covid-19 test after seven days of arrival.
What if I have children under age 12 who can’t be vaccinated?
Any children under age 12 can fly to Poland without quarantine if the parents they are travelling with are fully vaccinated.
As a result of this rule, because we were both vaccinated adults, both of our children (4 and 7 years old) were not subject to any testing prior to departure or upon arrival. Not having to test our children also helped keep our budget in check. If we had both been required to get negative tests, as well as negative tests for the kids, we would have easily spent up to $350-600 depending on what country we would have had to get the test.
How did arrival at the airport work?
When our flight arrived at the Warsaw Airport, we were about to disembark when the captain came on the loudspeaker and announced that there were some forms that we needed to complete before leaving the plane. Unfortunately, the airline had inquired if these forms needed to be completed during the flight and had been told they didn’t, but when arriving the gate agent said they needed to be before departing the flight. (The process was so new, as the new rules had just gone into effect a couple days before our arrival.) Just one form had to be completed per family and it inquired about the flight taken, seat assignment and countries visited prior to arrival, as well as all the information for the family members traveling with you.
After completing the form, we proceeded down to a spot where Polish officials checked our passports and vaccination certificates. (We had already gone through customs at the Amsterdam Airport as an official entry point to the EU.) Then we were free to proceed. To be honest, it was the most normal that travel has felt in a long time!
Activity at Warsaw Airport
As we went to gather our bags from the baggage carousel, it was pretty quiet at the Warsaw airport still. We were the only flight with bags being delivered at that particular time of the day.
It is super exciting though that people can start to fly to Poland without quarantine if they are fully vaccinated. Let the travelling begin!
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