Major changes to country assessments – more countries are being categorised as green

Historical archive

Published under: Solberg's Government

Publisher: Ministry of Health and Care Services

News story | Date: 05/07/2021

From 5 July, Norwegian entry restrictions and quarantine rules will be based on the same threshold values as those applied in the EU. The Norwegian Government has made several changes on the basis of the weekly country assessments by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and many countries are now being categorised as green. For the first time, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has also assessed some of the archipelagos in Europe, and certain third countries. All of the changes will enter into effect on Monday 5 July at 12 am.

Information in other languages:

‘Even though much of Europe is turning green, which means that more people will be able to enter the country without having to complete travel quarantine, we will continue to have rules requiring entry registration and testing at the border for people arriving from green countries. The rules are intended to protect us from imported cases of COVID-19, allow us to assess the situation, and to protect ourselves from new virus variants’, says Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs still advises against non-essential travel to countries outside the EEA/Schengen area and the UK.

Beginning on 5 July, an exemption is being made to this rule for certain countries and areas on the EU's list of third countries, known as ‘purple countries’ (see the list below), and the travel advice for these countries will be revoked. The travel advice for the rest of the world will apply until 10 August.

As the EU's threshold values and colour map are being adopted, the term ‘orange country’ will be introduced. At present, there are no differences between the entry restrictions for orange and red countries, but this may change in the future.

Countries in Europe (except for the Nordic countries)

The following countries will turn green:
Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, the Faeroe Islands, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Vatican City, and Austria.

The following countries will remain green:
Greenland and Iceland.

The following countries will remain orange or red:
Ireland, Cyprus, Latvia, Monaco, the Netherlands, and Portugal (orange).

Andorra, Spain, and the UK (red).
Travellers arriving from the UK no longer need to complete part of their quarantine period at a quarantine hotel (change from dark red to red).

Nordic regions

Sweden

The following regions will turn green:
Dalarna, Gotland, Gävleborg, Halland, Jämtland, Skåne, Stockholm, Södermanland, Uppsala, Västerbotten, Västernorrland, Västmanland, Västra Götaland, Örebro, and Östergötland.

The following regions will remain orange or red:
Blekinge, Jönköping, and Kalmar (orange), as well as Kronoberg, Norrbotten, and Värmland (red).

Denmark

The following regions will turn green:
Zealand, Southern Denmark, Central Denmark, and North Jutland.

The capital region (including Copenhagen) is orange.

Finland

The following regions will turn green:
Helsinki and Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa, and Päijät-Häme.

The following regions will remain green:
Central Finland, Central Ostrobothnia, Etelä-Savo, Itä-Savo, Kanta-Häme, Kymenlaakso, Lappi, Länsi-Pohja, North Karelia, North Ostrobothnia, Pohjois-Savo, Satakunta, South Karelia, South Ostrobothnia, Vaasa, Varsinais-Suomi, and the Åland Islands.

Kainuu is orange.

Selected archipelagos in Europe

From 5 July, certain archipelagos will be assessed separately in order to allow safe travel to islands that are popular holiday destinations for Norwegians. During the pandemic, the rate of infection on several of the islands in question has differed from that on the mainland.

The following islands/archipelagos will turn green:

The Ionian Islands, Greece
Crete, Greece
The Northern Aegean Islands, Greece
Corsica, France
Madeira, Portugal
Sardinia, Italy
Sicily, Italy

The following islands/archipelagos will turn red or orange:

The Azores, Portugal (orange)
The Balearic Islands, Spain (orange)
The Southern Aegean Islands, Greece (orange)
The Canary Islands, Spain (red)

Selected third countries: Purple countries
For the first time, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has assessed the countries and areas on the EU’s list of third countries which it believes have a rate of infection that warrants slightly lighter entry restrictions when travelling to Norway, such as an exemption from the duty to stay at a quarantine hotel. These countries will now be referred to as ‘purple countries’.

These countries and areas will turn purple:

Australia
New Zealand
Israel
Japan
Lebanon
North Macedonia
Serbia
South Korea
USA
Singapore
Taiwan

Any person who has visited a purple country is subject to the same requirements regarding testing, entry registration, and travel quarantine as people arriving from a red country. These rules may change, and purple countries are therefore regulated in a separate category in the COVID-19 Regulations.

For people who are already allowed into Norway, such as people who reside in this country, the new category of ‘purple countries’ means that any person who has visited these areas during the 10 days prior to arrival will not have to stay at a quarantine hotel upon arrival in Norway.

Grandparents, romantic partners, etc. from purple countries may enter Norway

The general rule is that people from third countries have no right to enter Norway, but there are a few exceptions to this rule. Another exemption is being implemented on 5 July. Foreign nationals who reside in a purple country, and who have one of the following relationships with a person who residing in Norway, may enter the country:

Adult, child or step-child, parent or step-parent of an adult, child/step-child.
Grandparent or step-grandparent, grandchild or step-grandchild.
Romantic partner over the age of 18 or the romantic partner’s minor child. The relationship must have lasted for at least 9 months, and the parties must have met physically before.

Prior consent for visits from romantic partners is required in order to be able to enter the country.

An application for such consent must be submitted to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration. Close family members, such as a spouse/cohabitant or minor children, are already permitted to enter the country.

Read more: Entry restrictions for families and romantic partners eased (in Norwegian)

New updates every week
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health assesses relevant countries and areas on a weekly basis. The colour codes for all countries and areas are assessed in even weeks. In odd weeks, the only assessment made is whether a country should change from green to red, based on the rate of infection.

Updates to the country assessments are published on regjeringen.no every Friday at 12 pm, and the changes enter into effect the following Monday at 12 am. The COVID-19 Regulations will be updated once the changes have entered into effect, as well as the interactive map on FHI.no.

The uncertain infection rate means that the advice and rules in different countries change quickly
The entry restrictions in Norway and other countries continue to be strict, so you must familiarise yourself with the rules that apply to the country you will be visiting before you travel, as well as the quarantine rules that will apply upon return to Norway.

The entry restrictions in different countries can be changed at short notice if their rate of infection rises.

The Norwegian Government therefore continues to recommend that people spend their summer holiday in Norway. This is the safest and most predictable option.

People who travel abroad may have a long wait at the border when they return to Norway. It is critical that we protect ourselves from imported cases of COVID-19 and new virus variants.

This means that there will be testing and checks at the border, in completely new ways. Even though work is constantly being done to improve the efficiency of border control, there may be long queues.

Entry and quarantine requirements from 5 July

Green countries:
Neither testing nor quarantine are required before entering Norway. People must complete an entry registration form and take a test at the border upon arrival. People who reside in a green country are exempt from the prohibition against entry into Norway.
Orange countries:
Travellers arriving from an orange country must follow the same rules as travellers arriving from a red country. However, separate requirements may be introduced later for orange countries.
Red countries:
Few groups of people are permitted to enter Norway. People who have the right to enter Norway must provide proof of a negative test result before entry, complete an entry registration form, take a test at the border upon arrival, and must complete travel quarantine.
Dark red countries:
The same entry restrictions as for red countries but, in addition, part of the travel quarantine must be completed at a quarantine hotel.
Purple countries:
Grandparents, romantic partners, etc. from these countries are exempt from the prohibition against entry. The same entry restrictions apply as for red countries (quarantine, testing, etc.).
Other countries in the world:
The same entry restrictions apply as in dark red countries (quarantine hotel, testing, etc.).

Are you fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 during the past 6 months, and have documentation in the form of a valid Norwegian or European COVID-19 certificate?
Then you can enter Norway, you are exempt from travel quarantine, you do not need proof of a negative test result, you do not need to complete an entry registration form, nor take a test at the border. This applies regardless of which country you have visited.

Read more on the page What applies to your situation? on helsenorge.no. This page also specifies the exemptions from the list above, such as minor children being exempt from the requirement to stay at a quarantine hotel.

Criteria for the country assessments
The threshold values for entry related to registered COVID-19 cases, testing, and the population in European countries come from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which is also the primary source for calculations by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

The criteria are based on figures per 100 000 inhabitants during the past 14 days, and the number of positive test results. ‘Less than 50 cases’ thus means ‘less than 50 confirmed cases per 100 000 inhabitants during the past 14 days’.

Green countries: Less than 50 cases and the test positivity rate is less than 4% or less than 75 cases and the test positivity rate less than 1%.
Orange countries: Less than 50 cases and the test positivity rate is 4% or more, or 50–75 cases and the test positivity rate is 1% or more, or 75–200 cases and the test positivity rate is less than 4%.
Red countries: 75–200 cases and the test positivity rate of tests for COVID-19 infection is 4% or more, or 200–500 confirmed cases.
Dark red countries: If the number of confirmed cases is 500 or more or there is no necessary and reliable data for assessment.

If there are special infection control considerations, like a high incidence of particularly contagious virus variants, the country will be categorised as dark red, regardless of the proportion of positive test results.

An overall assessment may result in a country that qualifies as green based on the objective criteria not being assigned that category, but being categorised as orange or red.

Threshold values (PDF)