Which European countries are reopening their borders to international students?

21 May 2020

Are you planning to study in the EU? You’ll want to know which European borders will be reopening as COVID-19 lockdowns ease.

We’re already seeing some countries loosening restrictions by opening restaurants and shops for domestic consumers, sparking hope that borders will soon fall for incoming international travellers.

Here’s what we know so far about the status of border controls at the following European countries:

Finland

Many European borders will not be open until June 15. Source: Alessandro Rampazo/AFP

Finland’s borders are currently open to students studying in the country.

According to SchengenVisaInfo, the categories of travellers permitted to enter Finland include:

travellers with employment contracts, transaction-management contracts and other contracted workers;
diplomats, employees of international organizations, military, and employees of aid organisations (for work purposes)
students studying in Finland

Denmark

Denmark’s borders are still closed to foreign visitors at the time of writing.

“The Danish government will reassess the temporary border controls and the related entry ban as well as the existing travel warnings by June 1 at the latest,” said VisitDenmark in a statement.

Germany

Germany Reopened Its Border with Luxembourg Over the Weekend https://t.co/WfjRlW9XAL #schengenvisa via @schengen_info

— SchengenVisaInfo (@schengen_info) May 18, 2020

Travellers from outside the Schengen area cannot enter Germany by air or land until June 15.

This includes non-EU-citizens and citizens of non-Schengen states entering Germany by air and land.

Borders to neighbouring countries to Germany may open after mid-June.

According to SchnegenVisaInfo, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has urged Poland and the Czech Republic to reopen their borders completely so the free flow of people and goods could be resumed.

“We’ll stop border controls for Denmark in the next few days, and from June 15 there will be no more checks at the borders with France, Austria and Switzerland,” he was quoted saying, adding that he hopes “that the border controls that the Polish and Czech friends currently do will also be lifted in the foreseeable future.”

France

According to SchnegenVisaInfo, the Minister of Interior has agreed with his German counterpart Horst Seehofer to reopen the common borders by June 15, where restrictions were put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The report notes that the border controls with France, Austria and Switzerland and the airside borders with Italy and Spain will remain in place until June 15. Border checks at the borders with Luxembourg will end on May 15.

“At the same time, the government is also ready to remove border controls with Denmark; however, a date on when this will happen will be set together with Denmark as the Danish government carries out ongoing consultations with its neighbouring countries,” it said.

Sweden

Sweden Extends Entry Ban for non-EEA Citizens Until June 15 https://t.co/RFyIyR2wCU #schengenvisa via @schengen_info

— SchengenVisaInfo (@schengen_info) May 18, 2020