Austria skiing

[Grayswood]

Meant to heading off to Austria on the 17th December. We booked direct (yes, in hindsight mad) and we won’t get a refund if we don’t go. Anyone else still heading off to Alps this xmas, or are we really stupid? It looks like Austria will be coming out of lockdown tomorrow.

@Theblacksheepandme

MirrorSignal1 We booked a PCR test the minute we found out. Did it for 9.50am yesterday and got the results back at 5.40am this morning - all negative. We are flying out tomorrow. It really was a stressful day yesterday. I was starting to think I really shouldn't have booked it at all. Anyway we're going now and hopefully nothing else will happen. Really sorry you had to cancel.

@Theblacksheepandme am I right in thinking you only need the pcr if you haven't had all 3 jabs? Myself and dh have all 3 and my 2 dc are 8 & 7. I'm reading that we will only have to show our vaccine certification to be able to get in? Or am I missing something and we need PCR as well? We fly on the 24th, hope you have a lovely time!, I'm sure all the stress will be worth it when you are there!

Someone asked if NHS app is accepted. We are at one of the resorts- it is accepted everywhere. They scan the QR code from the app, so far we have not encountered any problems. We have purchased the ski passes today with NHS app without any issues. The vaccination status is checked at the airport, when checking in at accommodation, any seated outdoor and indoor hospitality, swimming pool, when buying ski pass , so pretty much everywhere apart from the supermarkets. We do not have younger teenagers, so do not have the problems with teens without two vaccines, but for fully vaccinated adults no problems so far.

LoobyLou2709
You only need a PCR test if you haven't had your booster or if the booster is less than 14 days. My husband had his but it is less than 14 days. My age cohort only opened up for the booster today. My daughter is 14 and has not had the booster yet either. This means all three of us needed the PCR test. We are fine once we are over there as we all have our EU Digital Covid Certificate.

@Theblacksheepandme can i ask where you saw about the booster needing to be more than 14 days ago? I was trying to find out if there is a time limit on it but I can't find anything that says how long ago you need to have had the booster, thanks!

The problem with people saying ‘it’s okay and you don’t need anything if you only transit and leave the country as soon as possible’ - you WILL need to do the registration if flying into Germany as your final airport. They check the digital registration at passport control, and you can’t even board the flight in the UK if you haven’t done the form and can show your ID numbers. I’ve flown into German airports dozens of times this year and every single time I’ve been asked for the digital registration.

overworriedmum
The below is a text we received from Crystal.

Hi. We've just been made aware of an announcement by the Austrian Government that anyone aged 12 and over will now be required to have a PCR test to be taken in the 72 hours before your flight arrival time - regardless of vaccination or recovery status. It's our understanding that customers that have had their boosters jabs are exempt as long, as this was more than 14 days ago.

@Theblacksheepandme thank you for this! where did you see about the 14 days? I can't see this anywhere either. My dh had his booster Friday, so will be less than 14 days but it has been added to his nhs covid travel pass!

@Theblacksheepandme sorry just seen your other reply!

LoobyLou2709
As I said to overworriedmum, I received a text from Crystal which I copied and pasted.

@EileenGC

The problem with people saying ‘it’s okay and you don’t need anything if you only transit and leave the country as soon as possible’ - you WILL need to do the registration if flying into Germany as your final airport. They check the digital registration at passport control, and you can’t even board the flight in the UK if you haven’t done the form and can show your ID numbers. I’ve flown into German airports dozens of times this year and every single time I’ve been asked for the digital registration.

That's interesting to know @EileenGC, according to the official website "Exemptions to this registration requirement apply in particular to persons who [...] are only passing through Germany"

https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/visa-service/EinreiseUndAufenthalt

But I wonder does that only count if, as you said, you are not leaving the airport. Possibly if, like us, you are travelling to Austria via land from Germany you still need to register then?

From what I can gather, you still need to show a negative covid (antigen or PCR) test to fly into Germany if you are leaving the airport, but you are entitled to fly into Germany as long as you are leaving again straight away! https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs/EN/topics/civil-protection/coronavirus/coronavirus-faqs.html#doc13797140bodyText3

@Theblacksheepandme thanks for that! I wonder if Crystal have misunderstood though because I can't see that written down anywhere. Ugh, so stressful!

overworriedmum
They better have got it right otherwise my husband paid for a PCR that he didn't have to get done.

@Theblacksheepandme from what I can figure out there is no stipulation for how long ago your booster needed to be as long as it was not more than 270 days ago, and there was at least 120 days between your 2nd vax and your booster.

The only thing I can see about 14 days needing to have passed is if you had a booster after having only one dose of a vaccine, which maybe is the case for teenagers? The doc I am reading is a translation so it's really hard to be fully sure.

goverdrive.portal.at/index.php/s/qnepQJZoEEZgX22/download/Entry-requirements-EN.pdf

If they are wrong I'll be looking for a refund for my husband's PCR test.

If anyones in Lech, please have a run or 6 for me!! I lived in St Anton for a while, which was fab, but loved loved loved skiing in lech!

Good days.

@Theblacksheepandme @overworriedmum the only thing I can find about the 14 days after booster is if you are travelling to England, it's on the gov website on what classifies as 'fully vaccinated' I've been Googling for the last hour and I can't find anything about going in to Austria! I don't know whether to risk not getting the hubby a pcr or not 🤦🏼‍♀️ he'll be 7 days.

Check if you qualify as fully vaccinated
To qualify under the fully vaccinated rules for travel to England, you must have proof of full vaccination with a full course of an approved vaccine.
You must have had your final dose of the vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England. The day you had your final dose does not count as one of the 14 days.
The proof of vaccination must have been issued by either:
• the UK vaccination programme
• the United Nations vaccine programme for staff and volunteers
• an overseas vaccination programme with an approved proof of vaccination for travel to the UK

@LoobyLou2709 I think we are going to risk it and not get PCRs! Unless we get any further info to say we need them, I just can't see anything in the information that implies that we do as long as we are boosted 🤞🏻

I would get the pcrs. I think that currently anything could go travelling from the UK. Currently Austria isn't classing UK as a variant country but it might. Also since the UK is not on the Anlage 1 list or whatever it is called (country with a lower covid risk) and you have to do the clearance form assume that could well be checked at border control so more likely to be asked for pcr test. I would just do it. You'll feel safer as well

@EileenGC

The problem with people saying ‘it’s okay and you don’t need anything if you only transit and leave the country as soon as possible’ - you WILL need to do the registration if flying into Germany as your final airport. They check the digital registration at passport control, and you can’t even board the flight in the UK if you haven’t done the form and can show your ID numbers. I’ve flown into German airports dozens of times this year and every single time I’ve been asked for the digital registration.

It was before the new entry restrictions announced by Germany of course, but my husband went to Austria in November flying into Munich and didn’t fill in the registration form. He tried to, as BA sent it to him pre-flight, but it won’t allow you to register any address for your first night that isn’t in Germany (understandably I guess) and we read about the transit exemption. He had no problems flying without the registration when he explained the situation, either boarding or at passport control.

British travellers entering Austria who are triple vaxxed (i.e. 2 vax + booster) are not required to do a PCR test and are not required to complete a pre-travel form. The PCR test is only required by people who have not had the booster (assuming that the second vaccination was less than 270 days ago).

The "14 days since the booster" seems to be a misunderstanding on the part of some tour operators - the problem being that they might then quote this when denying people boarding at the UK airport.

This is pretty comprehensive for the rules that start today.

The only mention of 14 days is that the gap between first and second jabs needs to have been that long. Not sure whether someone in the holiday company or airline has misread it?

www.austria.info/en/service-and-facts/coronavirus-information/entry-regulations

The Austrians have clearly heard the (mis)information about the 14 day booster restrictions.

From> www.austria.info/en/service-and-facts/coronavirus-information/entry-regulations

"Please note: The booster jab is valid from the first day."

@Havanananana thank you so much for confirming and positing this! My stress levels have reduced slightly now! 😆

*posting