Before booking your cruise, please check HERE if you are allowed to embark according to your country of residence. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there might be international travel restrictions depending on your cruise destination and your country of residence. 

The below requirements are valid for current and following sailings (health and safety measures are subject to change and will adapt according to the evolution of the pandemic).

Please note that all Guests will need to follow all of these requirements to be allowed on board:

• All Guests (from 2 years old) need to provide a certificate of a negative RT-PCR test or an antigen test taken within 48 hours before embarkation. If you embark on your cruise at 15:00 on a Saturday, you should take your Covid-19 test on Thursday as of 15:00

• All Guests (12 years old and over) have to be fully vaccinated OR have to be recovered from Covid-19 within the last 6 months. Guests are considered fully vaccinated if they received the full set of vaccine shots more than 14 days before the start of the cruise with an approved Covid-19 vaccine including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax, Sinovac, Sinopharm, Sputnik V. 

All Guests embarking on a cruise regardless of their Nationality must present a vaccination certificate indicating that complete vaccination has taken place within the last 9 months. If more than 9 months (270 days) have passed since receiving the set of two vaccine shots, a booster vaccine will be required to embark, with the exception of guests ages 12-17. Starting from 14th of May, a booster dose is not mandatory for guests between the ages of 12 and 17 years old. Guests ages 12-17 are considered fully vaccinated if they have completed the primary vaccination cycle - 2 DOSES OF VACCINE (in accordance with local regulations).

Vaccination certificates must be valid for the duration of the entire cruise.

Guests who have recovered from Covid-19 with only one shot of vaccine are considered fully vaccinated as long as they got their vaccine or have recovered from Covid-19 within the last 6 months. Guests must provide a QR code or an official validating documentation.

For Israel, an entry statement must be filled out by all Guests within 48 hours before ship’s departure. The declaration should be filled as an exit statement before departing https://corona.health.gov.il/en/flights/. 

The original test and vaccination certificate must be presented at the terminal (paper or electronic format) and must be in English. The COVID 19 test certificate must contain: guest’s personal data (verifiable with the other travel documents), date of the test, identification / contact details of the center that performed the analysis, technique used and negative test result.

Before booking your cruise, please check HERE if you are allowed to embark according to your country of residence. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there might be international travel restrictions depending on your cruise destination and your country of residence. 

In accordance with local regulation of the countries on the itinerary, face masks are required when in public areas indoors. However, masks do not need to be worn when seated in restaurants, bars, lounges. When ashore, Guests must follow any local regulations which are subject to change.

Additional Travel Requirements for Greece 

MSC will perform Covid-19 tests at the terminal only for Guests embarking in Piraeus.

Additional Travel Requirements for Israel

Information for Guests embarking in Haifa (Israel)

• An entry statement must be filled out by all Guests within 48 hours before ship’s departure. The declaration should be filled as an exit statement before departing https://corona.health.gov.il/en/flights/. 

Information for Guests in transit in Israel

• All Guests must complete and an entry statement before departing Kusadasi: https://corona.health.gov.il/en/flights/

Additional Travel Requirements for Cyprus 

Guests embarking in Cyprus who are arriving by plane must complete the CyprusFlightPass: https://cyprusflightpass.gov.cy/ 

To ensure peace of mind, MSC Cruises requires all guests to have a specific and mandatory Covid-19 insurance policy to embark, covering against COVID-19 related risks, i.e cancellation, interruption, repatriation expenses, quarantine, medical assistance and related expenses, as well as hospitalization. Before finalizing a reservation, it is possible to add to the cruise on this website the MSC COVID-19 Protection plan to all departures on sales from 2021-2022 Winter season onwards. A proof of the specific COVID-19 coverage insurance policy - which must be in one of the following languages English, Italian, German, French or Spanish - must be presented at embarkation or boarding will be denied.

As per our stringent MSC Health & Safety protocol, all guests both vaccinated and unvaccinated (under 12 years old), will need to undergo some Health and COVID 19 screenings, including a health questionnaire and a contactless temperature check, at the terminal before boarding.  

For a seamless embarkation process, please make sure to review our Health & safety measures in place in our terminals and to bring:

• A printed copy of your embarkation form (available in your cruise ticket)  
• A printed copy of your mandatory health questionnaire duly completed and signed within 6 hours prior to the embarkation (available in your cruise ticket)  
• The original COVID 19 test and vaccination certificate (paper or electronic format) must indicate that complete vaccination / booster has taken place within the last 9 months.       
• A proof of COVID-19 insurance clearly showing the COVID-19 risks coverage  
• A valid identity document 

We will deny boarding in case of:   

• Symptoms i.e fever (>37,5 C C / 99.5 F), cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle/body aches, fatigue, headache, sore throat and loss of taste/smell in the 14 days prior to embarkation  
• Potential exposure to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID 19 in the 14 days prior to embarkation 
•  Temporary travel restrictions based on local circumstances. For example, certain countries may deny visas or prohibit entry based on travel history or nationality. 
•  Failure to provide the proof of the mandatory COVID-19 insurance policy (which must be in one for the following languages: English, Italian, German, French or Spanish)

A COVID-19 test or Passenger locator form (PLF) may still be necessary for national or international mobility requirement: it’s every guest’s responsibility to verify this requirement before departure. For more information, it is recommended to check your country’s competent authorities official channels. 

Guests will be able to go ashore independently according to local requirements which are continually monitored and subject to change. Guests who are travelling with unvaccinated children are also able to go ashore independently. For the best ashore experience, we recommend all guests explore destinations with the comfort, convenience, and safety of an MSC Cruises Shore Excursion, bookable pre-cruise and on board. More information in the FAQ section. 

Additional Travel Requirements for Israel 

All guests in transit must complete and entry statement form within 48 hours before departing Kusadasi: https://corona.health.gov.il/en/flights/ 

It is the responsibility of each Guest to ensure they are in compliance with any local regulations related to COVID-19 testing when returning to their final post cruise destination.