Countries with crew vaccine mandates

Here’s a simple thing: a list of countries which require crew to be vaccinated to be able to enter.

We will keep adding to the list if/when more countries adopt this requirement.

Note that the info for each country is just a quick heads-up summary, not an extensive explanation of the rules in detail. For that, click on the links provided, or contact local agents for more info.

Update Jan 27

Antigua

There are no special exemptions for crew in Antigua! So that makes the rules pretty straightforward here – everyone aged 18 or older needs to be vaccinated, have a pre-arrival test, and have a booking to stay at “certified accommodation”. There’s no quarantine on arrival as long as you tick all these boxes. Full guidance here. Contact local agent anu@signatureflight.com for more info.

Chile

Crew vaccination is not absolutely required, but local agents say it’s highly recommended in order to avoid potentially having to quarantine in their hotel room until departure. Note that you need to validate your vaccination and obtain a “mobility pass” on this website and this process might take up 30 days. Essentially, crew should follow the same procedure as passengers – get the mobility pass, take pre-arrival test, take another test on arrival and remain in quarantine until they receive a negative test result.

The best site we’ve found for easy-to-read and clear guidance is the UK FCO page for Chile. Contact local agent fbo@aerocardal.com for more info.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong don’t absolutely require crew to be vaccinated, but things get tricky if they’re not. The Hong Kong crew rules are excruciatingly complex, but essentially, crew who have been to “High Risk Places” (i.e. pretty much everywhere) within the past 21 days will have to self-isolate on arrival. Here’s where the vaccination status becomes important – vaccinated crew only have to self-isolate in an airport hotel until departure, but unvaccinated crew must stay at a designated quarantine hotel for a full 21 days.

Full guidance here. And for an up-to-date list of what countries are in the “High Risk Places” list, click here. Local agent Asia Flight Services have summarised all this pretty clearly in a crib-sheet which you can download here.

Qatar

Crew are allowed to enter as long as they are vaccinated and have a pre-arrival test. How long they must quarantine for depends on which country they are flying in from. The US, Canada, and most European countries are currently on Qatar’s “Red List”, which means a 2 day hotel quarantine on arrival with a Covid test conducted at the end of the second day.

Full guidance here. Contact local agent handling@qatarexec.com.qa for more info.

Thailand

Crew need to be vaccinated and have a pre-arrival test, and must self-isolate in their hotel room until departure (yep, the room).

However, vaccinated crew are free to apply for the “Test&Go” or “Sandbox” options instead, if they prefer. These are the two schemes Thailand has in place for travellers to avoid lengthy quarantine. The requirements for each scheme are bit complex (read about Test&Go requirements here, and Sandbox requirements here), but they are probably worth considering if crew are planning on staying in Thailand for longer than just a night or two.

Update Jan 25

Anguilla

Crew need proof of vaccination, a pre-arrival test (various different types accepted, within varying timeframes), and will get tested again on arrival. They then have to stay in their hotel until the results come back – usually within 24 hours. Crew staying for more than 8 days may be tested again on day 4. Full guidance here.

Argentina

Crew must be vaccinated to enter. They don’t need a pre-arrival test, but must take a test between the 3rd and 5th day after arrival. Contact local agent info@transair-fbo.com for more info.

Canada

Effective Jan 15, all foreign crew must be vaccinated to enter Canada. There are several exemptions for Canadian citizens and residents, one of which is for crew. You can use Canada’s online tool to quickly work out what the entry rules are for you, depending on your circumstances.

Cambodia

All foreign crew must be vaccinated. They must take a pre-arrival test if travelling to VDPP/Phnom Penh or VDSV/Sihanoukville, but this is not required for flights to VDSR/Siem Reap. At all airports, crew will be tested on arrival – results take up to 20 minutes. Contact local agent occ@asiaflight.aero for more info. Full guidance here.

France

Crew operating domestic flights need either a pre-arrival test, proof of vaccination, or a certificate of recovery. These rules do not apply to crew operating international flights as they are still exempted from all requirements. Full guidance here.

French Polynesia

Crew need to be vaccinated to enter, unless they have a “compelling motive” and obtain permission from the High Commissionaire’s Office in advance – in which case they must quarantine on arrival. A pre-arrival test is also required. Contact local agent nuutea@tascfbo.com for more info.

Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)

Crew traveling to the Galapagos Islands need proof of vaccination plus a pre-arrival test. Also not that SEGS/Galapagos airport is not an airport of entry – you must do customs and immigrations through SEQM/Quito or SEGU/Guayaquil on Ecuador’s mainland first. Contact local agent info@pike-aviation.com for more info.

Singapore

Crew and pax entering Singapore via the Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme need to jump through a lot of hoops: proof of vaccination, a pre-departure test, another test on arrival plus self-isolation until they get an SMS with a negative test result (this is likely to arrive within 24 hours, but for scheduled arrivals at Changi airport it is taking 6 hours or less). Full guidance here.

But from Jan 24, if they can prove they had Covid and recovered from it (between 7-90 days before the date of departure for Singapore) they are exempt from all these requirements. Full guidance here.

If you know of somewhere not on the list, but which should be, send us an email at news@ops.group

5 Comments

BB says:

26 January, 2022 at 11:06 pm

Chile requires 72 hour C19 test before entry and will test pax and crew upon arrival at gateway airport inbound.

- BB says:
  
  26 January, 2022 at 11:10 pm
  
  Chile requires proof of vax submitted up to 30 days prior to entry for both pax and crew.
  
- BH says:
  
  27 January, 2022 at 6:53 am
  
  Not all airports have testing on site. Handling was arranged through Aerocardal in Santiago who informed us crew had to quarantine regardless of vaccination status upon arrival in Iquique. When we arrived immigration never told us we had to quarantine, and we just asked the local handler to take us for a test in town, just as our passengers had to do. Had the results in two hours and figured that was our get of quarantine card.
  
Thomas Fehn says:

26 January, 2022 at 2:11 pm

HKG requires proof of vaccination and Bangalore in India too

- aryae brown says:
  
  8 March, 2022 at 1:14 pm
  
  Hi Thomas,
  
  Regarding Bangalore, did they need only proof of vaccination or also booster status?
  
  Thanks,

Countries with crew vaccine mandates