Gedimino pilies kalnas (© Andrius Aleksandravičius).
On February 15 Lithuania became one of the most open European states by lifting traveling restrictions for visitors from all EU/EEA and some of the non-EU countries. The lifting of requirements is expected to boost the tourism sector, the economy, and facilitate international travel.
Lithuania has lifted its COVID-19 restrictions for all EU/EEA countries and continues to ease them for other countries. From February 15, all visitors from EU/EEA and some of the non-EU countries, including the UK, do not longer require to provide a vaccine certificate, documentation of recovery, or a negative COVID-19 test when entering Lithuania.
Starting from March 31, visitors from other countries will be still required to present a vaccination certificate, documentation of recovery, or a negative COVID-19 test, however, they will not need to undergo additional testing or self-isolate. Furthermore, those immunized by Nuvaxovid (Novavax) and Covishield (AstraZeneca) vaccines can already enter the country.
This decision taken by the Lithuanian government follows the recommendations of the World Health Organisation to lift or ease travel restrictions, as pro-longed strict COVID-19 measures can potentially cause economic and social harm. After implementing these changes, Lithuania remains one of the most open European countries regarding international travel.
“Lithuania is one of the first countries in the region to quickly and flexibly respond to the changing nature of the virus. The lifted restrictions send a positive message to the entire Lithuanian tourism sector, which has been affected by the pandemic,” said Aušrinė Armonaitė, Lithuania’s Minister of the Economy and Innovation. “Previous restrictions would no longer serve the same purpose, and would only have a negative impact on the economy, seeing that the current strain of virus is considered milder. This is also good news for tourists and Lithuanians living abroad since both groups will now find it easier to come to Lithuania.”
Before the pandemic, almost 2 million tourists visited the country in 2019. With over €977.8M spent by visitors that year, tourism became a significant part of the country’s economy. It is expected that the lifted restrictions will drive the country’s tourism businesses towards a faster recovery as entering Lithuania from EU/EEA countries now will be no different from the regulations valid in the pre-pandemic period.
Most tourist attractions are now open in Lithuania and allow visitors to explore the country with minimal safety limitations such as wearing medical masks in public indoor spaces and FFP2 grade respirators during indoor events.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
