Allow in your vacation budget transport means, accommodation, food, souvenirs… And the cost of a PCR test. A new expense that can go up to €190 per person in some EU countries. To avoid bad surprises and prepare your summer vacation as well as possible, Le Figaro has listed the price of the different screening tests provided in EU countries close to France.
For the record, if you return to France after a stay abroad and you did not have all your vaccine doses, you need to show up at the border with a negative PCR test taken less than 72 hours ago.
In France, Covid-19 screen tests are free of charge for citizens and tourists visiting the country this summer. Denmark, Norway, Montenegro, and Bavaria in Germany also provide tourists with free PCR tests. But this situation is not the same everywhere. Other countries in EU charge these screening tests.
MEPs are currently in talks to framework the costs of these test in Europe, in lack of making them free of charge everywhere. In the meantime, depending on regions and places testing, the cost of a PCR test can go from €40 to €190.
The good news for the French is the health insurance mostly reimburses their tests taken in the European Union within the European Economic Area or in Switzerland. The French system takes care of the cost of tests up to €50. To be reimbursed you must show your European health insurance card at the testing center or fill in a reimbursement claim once you are back in France, via the S 3125 form, or showing your bill as a proof.
If you travel to a country that is not Switzerland or part of the EU or the EEA, the health insurance can only take care of “medical, urgent and unexpected tests taken care up to 27% of the total”.
But then, how much do these tests cost in European countries? Belgium is the cheapest country, the average cost for a PCR test is around €40.44. To find a testing center, check out info-coronavirus.be.
In Germany, the cost of a test changes with regions. Allow €60 to €80 in testing centers by Centogene and EcoCare groups, in main cities and airports. The Coronatest group – found in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hanover and Cologne – “only” charges €49.99.
In Austria, the average cost of a test changes depending on the place it is taken. On Covid Test Station, you will find places testing you for €57. At the Vienna airport, the cost escalates to €69 per adult and €49 for children under 18. Avoid private laboratories that can charge up to €150 per test.
As for Greece, they have chosen to regulate their costs to give a fix rate – although high: €60 for a PCR test and €20 for an antigenic test. Hospitals and clinics are the most likely to test you during your stay.
In Italy, rates balance between €60 and €80. Some laboratories such as Synlab provide PCR tests for €50… and charged €100 if you ask for results within 24 hours. Pay attention to when you are getting tested.
In Portugal, you better try your luck in Red Cross facilities providing the cheapest tests, between €60 and €65. In private laboratories, prices immediately skyrocket to over €100.
In Croatia, testing centers charge between 490 kuna (€65) and 850 kuna (€113) for a PCR test.
In the Netherlands, the cheapest laboratory, Eurofins, charges €80 for a PCR test.
Spanish platform saludsavia.com counts 200 testing centers in the country. Prices balance between €98 and €120.
Last but not least, Malta charges foreign tourists forcing them to get tested in private centers listed on the country’s tourist office’s website. Prices sometimes escalate up to €140.
