Malta Reopens To Vaccinated U.S. Tourists

Last Updated 2 years ago

Malta has decided that it will recognize U.S vaccination cards with EMA-approved vaccines as a valid vaccination certificate.

The move enables vaccinated U.S travelers to enter the beautiful island nation this summer, adding another European country to the already growing list of nations American’s can visit this summer.

Malta decided to reopen for travel again earlier in June. However, they weren’t fully open to all travelers from the United States. Instead, they opened to vaccinated U.S travelers from 40 different states. On July 1st, Malta then announced they would not recognize American vaccinate cards at all but have now reversed that decision.

The CDC vaccine cards are now accepted by Malta once more and Americans from all US states are welcome.

This move will give Malta’s battered travel industry a chance to recover after a very tough year.

The Entry Requirements

Malta will allow travelers from the United States to enter Malta if they have evidence of full vaccination. However, the vaccine must be approved by the EMA, and travelers must be fully vaccinated, not partially vaccinated.

Thankfully, if the U.S. travelers have an official CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card — they can enter the country.

This has become effective since July 19th. If travelers don’t have evidence of vaccination, they will have to undergo a mandatory quarantine at a government-mandated quarantine hotel at their own expense.

The traveler will also have to pay for the additional PCR tests and any other additional expenses during the quarantine period. As of July 14th, Malta decided to stop unvaccinated travelers from entering the country.

Prior to this, travelers from certain countries could enter Malta with a PCR test. But Malta is starting to see rising cases of COVID-19 and has decided to start implementing stricter border measures.

The Current Restrictions In Malta

Although travelers can fly to various countries, most travelers don’t want to visit countries that are in and out of lockdown. Therefore, it’s important to look at the current situation within that country.

Malta has started to reintroduce some restrictions within the country after a rise in cases in the past two weeks. However, on the whole, the country remains open and pretty restriction-free.

Travelers can eat in bars and restaurants until 2 am
Non-essential shops are open
Retail stores are fully open
Cinemas and theatres have reopened
Travelers can enjoy the beaches without wearing masks since June 1st
Gyms and swimming pools are open

However, travelers will need to wear masks at all times unless they’re in their hotel room, in the car, or exercising.

The COVID-19 Situation

Malta continues to have very low cases of COVID19. The small nature of the island mixed with quick border closures meant that Malta had two COVID-19 deaths in the first months of the pandemic. However, the country has recorded over 30,000 cases and over 400 deaths since.

After getting COVID-19 cases down to the single digits in the last 3 months, the delta variant has begun to take hold. The country is now averaging around 200 cases per day when they were averaging single digits last month.

There has been a sharp rise in cases and that’s why Malta has decided to change its border policy continuously in the last month. Nonetheless, the country hasn’t yet implemented any strict restrictions, but it’s something to think about.

Various EU nations started to add curfews to their countries after cases started to grow last week. The delta variant is starting to cause huge uncertainty for the travel industry and threatens to hinder Europe’s tourism recovery.