Where to get a Covid test in Italy

Great questions! Yes, the rapid test is the rapid antigen test, not the PCR test, which in Italy is called molecolare. The rapid test (so called because results are usually available in 20-30 minutes) is sufficient for purposes of entry to Italy but has a shorter validity time frame (24 hours) than the PCR (72 hours, or 48 if the traveler is coming from the UK or has stayed in the UK in the 14 days prior to entry). These are the current rules as of January 9, 2022. For re-entry to one's home country, rules can vary and a traveler should check with their government or embassy in Italy.

The Italian government has put a price cap on testing here in Italy. The rapid antigen test is capped at €15 for adults 18+ and €8 for minors, but that is at participating pharmacies. Generally speaking though, even at private clinics the prices don't seem to be higher than €22 for rapid antigen tests. 

PCR tests are significantly higher, ranging generally between €50 and €60 at private clinics. The regional government in Tuscany put a cap on the PCR test at a max of €80.

Generally speaking, the pharmacy where you have the test done will email you the basic green pass certificate with a QR code.

Hi Shelley, 

Once we take a test at the pharmacy or airport, how long will it take for us to get teh basic green pass certificate with the QR code via email? 

THanks

Check with the pharmacy, but usually I get it in about a half hour from my pharmacy. Another member here had a similar experience in Rome (although it was several months ago, I don't think that changes much - the system is pretty fine tuned by now), you can read her post here.

Shelley- We arrive in Civitavecchia on a cruise ship on April 4th. Once I am inside Italy ( thru customs ) and pick up rental car and go,will I need to continue testing at variour parts of country or will we be good until we fly home from Fiumicino on May 4th?

Hi Valerio. In terms of the super green pass, it depends on the validity of your vaccination certificate. If you have a booster, then no additional testing is required. If you've only completed your initial vaccination cycle, depending on how long ago that was, you may need to have testing during your trip. Have a look at this post for more information.

Shelley- So if I read it correctly- We have had both shots and booster from Moderna and my wife was Pfizer- both approved by Italy, WE sail from Miami to Rome with stops in the Azores,and Spain and France- When ship docks we are good to  go? Will not need to test on ship and have a negative result?  And if we get stopped  during the 30 days of driving in Italy our CDC card is as good as a Super Green Pass ?

Please advise

Valerio

Yes, that's my understanding. I'm not aware of any particular rules regarding ships but you could check with the company that you're sailing with to see if they have other regulations. Note that entry requirements are different than super green pass requirements; however, technically if you have a stop in France prior to entering Italy then I imagine you won't need an additional Covid test because entries from countries on List C don't require a test to enter. That being said, there is also a rule about where you've been in the 14 days prior to entry. Your best bet on entry requirements is to complete the Italian foreign ministry's interactive survey to see what applies to your particular situation.

If you're coming from the US with a CDC white card, you can also refer to the US Embassy's Covid-19 information page.

Prego!

Hi Giovanna. It looks like fully vaccinated people don't have to test to enter the UK. Here's the info from the UK govt website:

If you are fully vaccinated

Before you travel to England you must complete a passenger locator form. You need to do this in the 3 days before you arrive in England.

You do not need to complete a passenger locator form if you began your journey to England in Ukraine or Russia.

You do not need to take any COVID-19 travel tests before you travel to England or after you arrive.

Hi Heather. No, you won't need any additional testing as long as you have a valid vaccination certificate. Did you see the letter that the Australian embassy issued to help Australian travellers have their vaccination certificates recognized? You can find it here.

Hi Amar, and thanks for your question. So, your initial vaccination certificate without booster, according to Italian rules, is already expired (six months validity). But as you mention, there's a regulation for foreign visitors that allows them to still have a super green pass if they get a negative result on a Covid test. I think it would be best if you took the test before you arrived in Italy, to save you some hassle. But technically speaking if your initial vaccination certificate is no more than 270 days ago (since your second dose), you can still enter Italy with the certificate, even though it isn't valid as a super green pass after six months have passed, unless it is accompanied by the negative test.

Staying in an apartment as a paying tourist is considered lodging and thus falls under the super green pass requirement. (Here is an English translation of the Italian govt chart that spells out things that require a super green pass).

Below is more information about the super green pass concession for foreign visitors. And you can get the original links at this post.

More information for those with recovery only or without a booster dose

The information about the concession for foreign visitors without a booster is also in Italian on the Italian national tourism board website, if you need to show someone who is checking the passes that your certificate is still valid if accompanied by a negative Covid test (click "Certificazione Verde Digitale Covid-19" and then scroll down to the paragraph under "Validità della certificazione"):

Agevolazioni per i turisti stranieri. I viaggiatori stranieri che hanno completato il ciclo vaccinale primario da oltre 6 mesi o sono guariti dal COVID da oltre 6 mesi potranno accedere alle strutture ricettive e a tutte quelle attività in cui è richiesto il pass rafforzato eseguendo un tampone antigenico (validità 48 ore) o molecolare (validità 72 ore). Questa regola vale anche per coloro che sono stati vaccinati con vaccini non autorizzati o non riconosciuti come equivalenti in Italia.

That information is available in English on the same webpage, just click where it shows IT and the globe icon in the upper right corner and select EN from the drop-down menu, then click "EU Digital Covid Certificate" then scroll down to "Validity of the certificates":

Concessions for foreign tourists.

The foreign traveler in Italy who has completed the primary vaccine cycle over 6 months ago or has recovered from COVID for over 6 months, can still access services and accommodation that requires a “reinforced” Green Pass, by having a negative antigen COVID test done within 48 hours or a molecular COVID test done within 72 hours. This concessions also apply to tourists who have received vaccines that are not recognized or approved in Italy. For further information on how to access services in Italy that require the use of either the “basic” or “reinforced” Green Pass, the readers can always refer to the Table in the section named “DISPOSIZIONI GENERALI” (General Provisions).

On the Italian government's national tourism board website it doesn't specify anything more than "over six months ago" so my assumption would be that any amount of time past six months would be ok so long as the vaccination certificate is accompanied by a negative test result. Here's that information (from this site):

Concessions for foreign tourists.

The foreign traveler in Italy who has completed the primary vaccine cycle over 6 months ago or has recovered from COVID for over 6 months, can still access services and accommodation that requires a “reinforced” Green Pass, by having a negative antigen COVID test done within 48 hours or a molecular COVID test done within 72 hours. This concessions also apply to tourists who have received vaccines that are not recognized or approved in Italy. For further information on how to access services in Italy that require the use of either the “Basic” or “Super” Green Pass, the readers can always refer to the Table in the section named GENERAL PROVISIONS.

Hi Valerio. Yes, you're correct. All good with the booster shot and no need in Italy for additional testing; just show your CDC white card.

The only potential issue that could come up is that if at the time of your travel the US still requires a negative Covid test to board the flight back home, and that test comes up positive, then yes, in that case you would have to go into quarantine because the CDC rules are that you can't come back into the US if you're testing positive for Covid. 

Here's info from the US Embassy in Rome Covid-19 page:

*** Effective December 6, 2021, all air passengers 2 years or older (citizens of all nationalities, including U.S. citizens, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated) with a flight departing to the US from a foreign country, are required show a negative COVID-19 viral test result taken no more than 1 day before travel, or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days, before they board their flight. Air passengers will also be required to confirm in the form of an attestation that the information they present is true. Please visit the CDC webpages for more information on the requirement for proof of negative COVID-19 test or recovery from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving in the United States.

Buon viaggio!