Travel Restrictions You Need To Know If You Plan To Travel To The US, UK, And France

If you are planning to travel to the USA, UK or France, be aware of the restrictions imposed on travelers so that you do not have any unnecessary travel problems. 

While some researchers say that Omicron is the milder variant of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that it could still pose “very high” risk and overwhelm healthcare systems across the globe. The United Nations’ health agency later added that Omicron, even though mild, is not a common cold and should be taken seriously.

Countries like the United States of America (USA), United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and France are facing the brunt of this new COVID-19 variant and are, therefore, imposing travel restrictions on travelers and asking them to undergo rigid quarantines.

These countries have also asked their citizens and residents living abroad in other countries to return home immediately. 

The United States of America (USA), for example, has imposed travel restrictions on all international travelers — including those from India — requiring them to be tested within one day of boarding a flight. All such passengers cannot be allowed entry into the country unless they undergo pre-arrival testing and self-isolation until they get a PCR test result that is negative for COVID-19.

If you are looking to travel to the United Kingdom, France or the US, there are different sets of visa requirements depending on your nationality.

Citizens of African countries like Ethiopia and Zimbabwe must apply for a visitor’s visa that includes visitor services before they can embark on their journey. This has nothing to do with President Donald Trump’s travel ban; it is an old requirement. But there is no need to worry because getting this visa will not be hard at all.

When applying for the visa, make sure you include evidence of return ticket (one-way tickets won’t cut it) hotel bookings in three cities, proof of income and $30 per day in expenses while staying in the country. The entire process costs $160.

In the UK, if you are a citizen of one of 27 countries in the European Union (EU), and Switzerland, then you will not need to apply for a visa. Good news is you can travel visa free for 90 days

If your citizenship is from Syria or Iraq, then you must apply for a short-term visitor’s visa before traveling to the country. This will cost $60 and allow you to stay in the country for 3 months only. But this is because of President Trump’s travel ban; it has nothing to do with those who belong to other nationalities.

The US requires visitors from 15 African nations like Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan to undergo an extensive vetting process that includes at least three separate background checks before they can be granted a visa.

In France, if you are from one of 27 European countries in the EU, then your travel is limited to only 90 days out of every 180 days. So, you will have to get another visitor’s visa for that period of time. For anyone who wants to spend more time in the country, it is advisable to apply for a long-term visa before traveling there. This will cost $142 and last for 10 years.

So citizens of these three countries need not worry about anything because this new law has nothing to do with them at all.