It’s every guest’s responsibility to comply with the MSC travel requirements and your country’s official travel requirements before departure. MSC Cruises has worked with the authorities in all of the regions and countries in which the ships operate to ensure its protocol meets and exceed the required health and safety measures. The below details are subject to change.

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.

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

• All Guests (2 years old and over) need to provide a certificate of a negative Antigen/Lateral Flow Test or RT-PCR test taken within the 2 days before the day of embarkation. An Antigen self-test will not be accepted unless it is accompanied by an official certificate.
• All Guests (12 years old and over) must be fully vaccinated and present evidence of their vaccination status indicating a full vaccination course (i.e. two doses of a two-dose vaccine) has been completed within the last 9 months. If more than 9 months (270 days) have passed since completing the vaccination course, evidence of a booster dose will be required to meet the vaccination requirement for embarkation.

Guests are considered fully vaccinated if:
Within the last 9 months and 14 or more days prior to departure they have completed two set of vaccines in accordance with local regulations including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax. (all Guests 12 years or older vaccinated with “Janssen” (Johnson & Johnson) are now required mandatory a second shot 14 days prior ship’s departure in order to be considered as “fully vaccinated”). A “mix-and-match” combination of the above list of vaccines is also accepted. If more than 9 months (270 days) have passed since receiving the two set of 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). 

Guests who recovered from Covid-19 with one shot of vaccine are considered as fully vaccinated (it will be necessary to provide a QR or alternative validation documentation). The vaccination certificate must be valid for the duration of the entire cruise. 

 To note: 

-Antigen self-test is not accepted for Embarkation 

 
Additional Requirements for Germany

•  **Two doses of a non European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved vaccine plus an European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved booster (including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax) will be accepted for embarkation only if Guests provide a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate or equivalent or an antigen test taken 24 hours prior arrival in Germany.

Additional Requirements for Guests embarking and in transit in Lisbon (Portugal)
**Two doses of a non European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved vaccine plus an European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved booster (including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax) will be accepted for embarkation only if Guests provide a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate or equivalent or an antigen test taken 24 hours prior arrival in Lisbon.

 
The original test and vaccination certificate must be presented at the terminal (paper or electronic format) and must be in one of the following languages: English, Italian, German, French or Spanish. 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 centre 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.

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. 

Additional Requirements for Germany

**Two doses of a non European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved vaccine plus an European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved booster (including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax) will be accepted for embarkation only if Guests provide a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate or equivalent or an antigen test taken 24 hours prior arrival in Germany.

Additional Requirements for Southampton (UK)

All Guests (2 years old and over) embarking on MSC Virtuosa, need to provide a certificate of a negative Antigen/Lateral Flow Test or RT-PCR test taken within the 2 days before the day of embarkation. Antigen self-tests are accepted as long as they’re accompanied by an official certificate/email (some of the suppliers that are accepted: Randox, Expresstest, Collinsons, ect.). NHS certificates not accepted.

Additional Requirements for Guests embarking and in transit in Lisbon (Portugal)

**Two doses of a non European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved vaccine plus an European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved booster (including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax) will be accepted for embarkation only if Guests provide a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate or equivalent or an antigen test taken 24 hours prior arrival in Lisbon.

Additional Requirements for Guests going ashore or disembarking in Belgium
 

To go ashore or to disembark in Belgium: guests travelling from a country outside the Schengen Area or European Union that is not is not included in the “white list” as per Belgium authorities are required to complete the BEL PLF and submit online prior to arrival to the cruise. (guests staying onboard the ship in Zeebrugge DO NOT need to complete the BEL PLF).

For more information, it is recommended to check your country’s competent authorities official channels and the following websites:​

Belgium: https://www.info-coronavirus.be/​ Additional information to fill in your Belgian e-PLF:​​ 

- Identification of the vessel: MSC Magnifica

​- Residential address: Street: MSC Magnifica, Number: 9387085, Box (=Pier number): 702, Zip/postal code: 8380, City: Zeebrügge

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.

All Guests will be required to present evidence of their vaccination status and negative COVID-19 test result, as applicable.
All Guests will be required to complete a health questionnaire at the terminal before embarkation.
The following documents will be verified at the terminal prior to embarkation:

• Valid Passport
• Evidence of fully vaccinated status (if applicable)
• Evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result (not applicable to Guests aged under 2 years old)
• Evidence of COVID-19 travel insurance

 
We will deny boarding in case of:
 

• Symptoms i.e fever (>37.5 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 of the following languages: English, Italian, German, French or Spanish)

Additional measures may be necessary during the cruise including the wearing of a face mask in certain spaces, temperature checks, and social distancing, in accordance with applicable regulations of the country or port of call. Guests must follow any local regulations when ashore.

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. 

Additional Requirements for going ashore Germany

-**Two doses of a non European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved vaccine plus an European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved booster (including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax) will be accepted for embarkation only if Guests provide a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate or equivalent or an antigen test taken 24 hours prior arrival in Germany.

Additional Requirements for Southampton (UK)

All Guests (2 years old and over) embarking on MSC Virtuosa on May 4th 2022 , need to provide a certificate of a negative Antigen/Lateral Flow Test or RT-PCR test taken within the 2 days before the day of embarkation. Antigen self-tests are accepted as long as they’re accompanied by an official certificate/email (some of the suppliers that are accepted: Randox, Expresstest, Collinsons, ect.). NHS certificates not accepted

Additional Requirements for Guests going ashore in Lisbon (Portugal)

**Two doses of a non European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved vaccine plus an European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved booster (including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax) will be accepted to go ashore only if Guests provide a valid EU Digital Covid Certificate or equivalent or an antigen test taken 24 hours prior arrival in Lisbon.
 

To go ashore or to disembark in Belgium: guests travelling from a country outside the Schengen Area or European Union that is not is not included in the “white list” as per Belgium authorities are required to complete the BEL PLF and submit online prior to arrival to the cruise. (guests staying onboard the ship in Zeebrugge DO NOT need to complete the BEL PLF)

To go ashore in Germany (Hamburg), Guests who are not full vaccinated, children ages 6 to 11 years old must have a negative 24 hour antigen test to go ashore. 

For more information, it is recommended to check your country’s competent authorities official channels and the following websites:​

• Belgium: https://www.info-coronavirus.be/​ Additional information to fill in your Belgian e-PLF:​
  -Identification of the vessel: MSC Magnifica​
  -Residential address: Street: MSC Magnifica, Number: 9387085, Box (=Pier number): 702, Zip/postal code: 8380, City: Zeebrügge

French residents returning from Green List Countries are not required to show a negative RT-PCR or Antigent test within 48hours prior to arrival. If a test is required by the airline this can be performed on board. French residents returning from orange list countries are required to show a negative 48hours test.  

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.