17 Oct 2026
EU removes Azerbaijan and Armenia from safe travel list
The European Union has removed Azerbaijan, Armenia and four other countries from its list of safe travel destinations, meaning visitors or people returning from those countries are likely to face tighter controls such as COVID-19 tests or quarantine.
Following a review, the governments of the EU’s 27 member states agreed to drop Japan, along with Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brunei and Serbia, the European Council said on Thursday. Uruguay has been added to the list.
With changes the EU safe list compromises 12 countries, including Australia, Canada and Saudi Arabia. Chinese territories Hong Kong and Macao are also considered safe.
The bloc still lets in most non-EU visitors who are fully vaccinated, although tests and periods of quarantine can apply, depending on the EU country of arrival.
The list seeks to unify travel rules across the bloc, advising that restrictions be lifted. However, it does not bind individual EU nations, which are free to determine their own border policies.
Germany, for example, already added Albania, Azerbaijan, Japan and Serbia on Sunday to its list of “high-risk areas” for which tighter entry restrictions apply.
Average daily COVID-19 cases in the six countries knocked off the EU safe list have risen sharply from below 40 per million people in late June to over 100 in the week to Sept. 8, figures from Our World in Data show, with Serbia at 593.
Latest news
Latest newsBulgaria Asks NATO to Strengthen Its Defences Amid Black Sea Threats: Sofia Fears Growing Risks to Maritime Shipping
16.Oct.2026
Black Sea Shipping Risks Threaten Bulgaria’s 5 Million Tonnes of Wheat Exports
15.Oct.2026
Georgia’s Foreign Funding and Political Ban Laws Draw Criticism from the Venice Commission
15.Oct.2026
Kazakhstan Promotes a Caspian Green Energy Corridor: Astana Seeks New Routes to the European Market
14.Oct.2026
Inflation in Romania Accelerates to 6.61%: Rising Prices Increase Pressure on Households and the Economy
13.Oct.2026
Can Europe Protect the International Criminal Court from Trump’s Sanctions?
13.Oct.2026
Georgia’s Constitutional Court Continues Case on Banning Opposition Parties: Political Pluralism at Stake
12.Oct.2026
Azerbaijan and Iran Step Up Security Contacts Amid Hijab Protests
12.Oct.2026
Personnel Shortages Complicate Ukrainian Forces’ Rotation: Ukraine Faces Long-Term Challenges on the Front Line
11.Oct.2026
Trump Eases Sanctions on Russian Fuel After Talks with Putin: Kyiv Fears Boost to Moscow’s War Revenues
10.Oct.2026
Putin Seeks to Strengthen Russia’s Influence in the Post-Soviet Space Through the CIS
10.Oct.2026
Russia and the South Caucasus: External Pressure, Political Competition and a Crisis of Trust
10.Oct.2026
Peaceful Settlement Between Armenia and Azerbaijan: Moving from Declarations to Implementation
10.Oct.2026
Moldova Ready to Accept as Many Ukrainians as Necessary if Situation Worsens This Winter
09.Oct.2026
Turkmenistan Turns Avaza into a Regional Diplomatic Hub as Caspian, Central Asian and CIS Agendas Converge
08.Oct.2026