covid travel update uk

Full list of updated green, amber and red countries - and the rules when you travel

Political reporter @itssophiemorris

Monday 28 June 2021 13:20, UK

The UK government might have given people more options for foreign travel but some destinations, such as Portugal which is on the amber list, are bringing in their own restrictions for British passengers.

From 28 June travellers to Portugal who are not fully vaccinated against coronavirus must quarantine for 14 days on arrival. This will last until 11 July.

Spain's Balearic islands, Malta and Madeira were among the destinations added to the green list in the latest update to the UK's travel traffic light system.

But Spain's government has now said that Britons arriving in Mallorca, Ibiza and other Balearic Islands will have to present a negative test result or proof of vaccination.

The second of the three-weekly reviews took place amid calls from holidaymakers and the travel industry for more countries to be added to the quarantine-free list.

Changes to the policy are made based on the COVID-19 situation in different countries.

Here is the updated green list

Antigua and Barbuda

Balearic Islands (Formentera, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca)

British Antarctic Territory

British Indian Ocean Territory

British Virgin Islands

Cayman Islands

Falkland Islands

Faroe Islands

Israel and Jerusalem

New Zealand

Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

Turks and Caicos Islands

The lists can be amended at any time, but the next formal review is expected in three weeks.

Green list rules

Spain's Balearic Islands, Malta, Madeira, and some islands in the Caribbean - including Barbados - have been added to England's travel green list.

A negative test result or proof of vaccination is now required upon arrival in the Balearic Islands.

The Caribbean islands included are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Also on the go list are Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, and the Pitcairn Islands.

But, the announcement came with a warning from the Department for Transport (DfT), as all of the new additions to the quarantine-free travel list, with the exception of Malta, will also be added to the government's 'green watchlist'.

It means these countries "are at risk of moving from green to amber" and that passengers should "take extra care when thinking about travelling".

The changes will come into effect at 4am on Wednesday 30 June.

People returning from a country on this list will not need to quarantine, and will only be required to take one test two days after arriving in the UK.

At present, UK tourists can travel to Malta without quarantine on arrival as long as they present a negative PCR test within 72 hours of departure and complete a passenger locator and public health declaration form.

Tourists heading from the UK to the Balearic Islands do not have to provide a negative COVID test on arrival, although some accommodation may require proof of a negative test.

The green list also consists of Gibraltar, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, plus several small remote islands that are British Overseas Territories.

However, entry to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei and the Faroe Islands is severely restricted.

Portugal was the only major European destination in this category originally, but was moved to amber after only a few weeks.

Amber list and rules

This covers the most popular UK holiday destinations such as Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Greece.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said people "should not be travelling to these places right now", but that this is likely to be updated "later this summer".

Those who go against that guidance must take two post-arrival tests from private companies on day two and day eight after arriving.

They are also required to self-isolate at home for 10 days, although they can reduce that time if they take an additional negative test on day five.

UK travellers arriving in Portugal will have to prove they have had two doses of a vaccine at least two weeks ago, or they have to isolate for 14 days.

UK tourists are allowed into mainland Spain without a negative PCR test, despite the country remaining on Britain's amber list.

Germany is also on the amber list but, due to the Delta variant, travellers from the UK will only be admitted if they are citizens or residents - or have urgent humanitarian reasons such as an immediate family bereavement.

However, they must quarantine for two weeks, even if they test negative.

Red list and rules

New additions to the red list include Eritrea, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda.

Other countries among the countries on the red list are Brazil, India, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Those returning from a red list country must stay in a government-approved quarantine hotel for 10 full days at a cost of £1,750.

The day of arrival in England counts as day 0.

Related Topics

• Coronavirus

• Israel-Gaza War
• War in Ukraine
• US Election
• US & Canada
• UK Politics
• N. Ireland Politics
• Scotland Politics
• Wales Politics
• Latin America
• Middle East
• In Pictures
• BBC InDepth
• Executive Lounge
• Technology of Business
• Women at the Helm
• Future of Business
• Science & Health
• Artificial Intelligence
• AI v the Mind
• Film & TV
• Art & Design
• Entertainment News
• Destinations
• Australia and Pacific
• Caribbean & Bermuda
• Central America
• North America
• South America
• World’s Table
• Culture & Experiences
• The SpeciaList
• Natural Wonders
• Weather & Science
• Climate Solutions
• Sustainable Business
• Green Living

UK travel update: Amber list scrapped in overhaul of travel rules in England

The international travel traffic light system is being simplified in England with a single red list, as part of an overhaul of the rules from 4 October.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also said eight countries would be taken off the red list from Wednesday.

It means people returning from places such as Turkey will no longer have to stay in hotel quarantine.

And PCR tests will no longer be required for fully vaccinated travellers returning to England.

Under the new testing regime, people who have had both jabs will not need to take a pre-departure test before leaving any country not on the red list.

And Mr Shapps said later in October, they would be able to replace the day two PCR test with a cheaper, rapid lateral flow test.

While travel is a devolved matter, the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish governments have often followed the UK government's rules during the pandemic.

Wales said it would follow England in removing Turkey, Pakistan, the Maldives, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya from the red list. It would "carefully consider" the proposed changes on testing but said they are "not without risk".

• Travel restriction changes 'positive', say airlines
• What are the new rules for going abroad?
• Want some autumn sun? Your travel guide to the Med

Scotland said it would simplify its traffic light system but ruled out removing the requirement for PCR tests, due to "significant concerns at the impact on public health".

The transport secretary said the new travel rules would remain in place "at least until the new year".

"The purpose is to make it easier to travel without the bureaucracy, without so many tests, and with a greater level of certainty now that we've got so many people vaccinated," he said.

The travel industry said the announcement was a step towards helping tourism recover .

Airlines UK said it was a "shot in the arm" that "moves us much closer to the reopening of UK aviation".

Stewart Wingate, chief executive of Gatwick Airport, said customers can "book with more confidence in the months before Christmas and beyond" and said there was "significant pent-up demand for travel".

But he said the remaining constraints on travel, such as the need to fill out a passenger locator form, should also be removed.

British Airways' chief executive and chairman, Sean Doyle, said fewer than 1% of travellers from low-risk countries tested positive and all testing for fully vaccinated travellers should be scrapped "in line with most other European countries".

Huw Merriman, the Conservative chairman of the Commons Transport Committee, said the changes could have an immediate positive impact on the UK's travel industry, coming before the October half-term break for schools.

He said the changes addressed the committee's criticism of "confusing watchlists and quarantines", the delay in "reaping the benefit" of vaccination levels, and the high costs of PCR tests.

Analysis: Could variants slip through the net?

by Jim Reed, BBC health reporter

Over the summer, scientists advising the government said that the biggest threat to our health security was a coronavirus variant that could spread faster or was resistant to our current vaccines .

We've been bitten by this before. In April the first cases of the Delta variant were spotted in travellers from India.

It started spreading quickly and, by June, it had taken over as the dominant form of the virus in the UK. Later studies suggested it was more contagious and more likely to put those infected in hospital.

Detecting new variants was a key reason why all vaccinated travellers had been told to pay for a private PCR test two days after they arrived back home. We were told that those expensive lab tests were needed to genetically sequence the sample and find out if the next potentially more dangerous variant had arrived.

But critics said that, in reality, the proportion of samples that could be analysed in this way was very low - partly because a certain level of virus was needed for the test to work properly.

The latest figures suggest that between August 12 and September 1 only around 25% of positive cases in travellers arriving in the UK were successfully sequenced .

Under the new plans, fully vaccinated travellers will instead be able to pay for a cheaper, but less sensitive, lateral flow test which can be taken quickly at home.

LFTs cannot be sequenced so anyone who tests positive will be asked to take a second follow up PCR lab test, which will be paid for by the NHS.

But there is a worry that without regular, automatic PCR testing of all samples, more variants could slip through the net and weaken our defences against coronavirus in the future.

• FROM BLOODBATHS TO THE PUB: What's it like mopping up after a crime scene?
• FROM WITCHES TO WARRIORS: Series 2 of Fort Salem streaming now on BBC iPlayer

US Edition Change

• US election 2024
• US Politics
• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Rugby Union
• Sports Videos
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Lifestyle Videos
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Inspiration
• City Guides
• Sustainable Travel
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Home & Garden
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Climate 100
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Electric vehicles
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

The country famed for pristine beaches and ancient temples hoping change can rebuild tourism

Locals are waiting to see a rebound after covid, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Your support helps us to tell the story

Find out more close.

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter. Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power. Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Tourists were busy spooning up ice-cream on the verandah of Tariq Nassim’s home at the picturesque Galle Fort in Sri Lanka , the centre of a boom in tourism during the island nation’s recovery from its worst economic crisis in decades.

Nassim’s ‘Dairy King’, which sells 22 flavours of homemade ice-cream, was just one of thousands of businesses crushed by the crisis that erupted after foreign exchange fell to critical lows, squeezing imports of essentials from fuel to fertiliser.

“That was the biggest hit we faced,” said Nassim, 62, whose 13-year-old business was pummelled by the double whammy of the 2022 financial crisis and the earlier Covid-19 pandemic.

“We haven’t been able to get back the pre-Covid business,” he added. “I don’t know when it will come back.”

The route to a firmer rebound for the Indian Ocean island hangs on the reforms and policies that will be adopted by the winner of this month’s presidential election, the first since the economy crumbled.

“The new president must be capable and able to appoint the right people and run the country competently, because we cannot afford any hiccups,” said M. Shanthikumar, president of industry body the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka.

Tourism in the country of 22 million, famed for its pristine beaches, ancient temples and aromatic tea, was crushed as the crisis drove inflation to 70 per cent, power tariffs jumped 65 per cent and the currency depreciated by 45 per cent.

Protests in Colombo by thousands angered at hours of power cuts, queues at fuel stations and hospitals with scarce medicine forced then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee Sri Lanka, though he has since returned.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, elected by parliament to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa’s five-year term, has led a tentative recovery underpinned by a $2.9-billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and restructuring of $25 billion in foreign debt.

Now inflation and interest rates are down to single digits, while growth of 3 per cent is expected in 2024, for the first time since the economy shrank 7.8 per cent during the crisis.

A key contributor to foreign exchange earnings that directly employs 205,000 people, tourism made up 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023. This year, Sri Lanka hopes to earn $3 billion from 2 million tourist arrivals, on par with 2019.

Visitors on Galle Fort’s cobbled streets haggled for silver jewellery with vendors, walked the ramparts and posed for pictures outside colonial buildings.

Although pleased at the rebound, Nassim says his income is still half that before the crisis, as few locals have returned to sample his ice-cream.

He wants the new president to strengthen regulations and make the island a more compelling destination to lure longer-staying big spenders.

Topping industry’s wish list are better facilities, stronger marketing, and streamlined issue of visas.

“Sri Lanka needs foreign exchange and 85 per cent of tourism earnings remain in the country,” said Hiran Cooray, chairman of Jetwing Symphony, which runs about 35 hotels and villas.

“Without doubt safety and stability are most important. If that is lost, then tourism will be a victim.”

The main candidates in the fray, from Wickremesinghe to opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and Marxist-leaning parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake, have all promised to fix the economy, but take different approaches.

Dissanayake has also promised a new agency to govern and grow tourism, as well as direct flights with countries sending the most tourists and support for mid-level businesses.

Wickremesinghe targets infrastructure upgrades to double arrivals to 5 million within five years.

Premadasa has promised to cut red tape, spur investment, and boost safety for travellers.

“We need growth,” said Shiran Fernando, of business group the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. “We can restructure debt, we can improve reserves ... but it only keeps the stability going, it doesn’t drive growth.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

UK to expand digital travel to more visitors

By April 2025, all visitors who do not need a visa will need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to travel to the UK.

The government is taking major steps towards delivering its ambitious aim to digitise the UK border and immigration system and has today set out new implementation dates for the electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme.

Everyone wishing to travel to the UK – except British and Irish citizens – will need permission to travel in advance of coming here. This can be either through an ETA or an eVisa.

Today we are confirming that from 27 November 2024, eligible non-Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need an ETA to travel from 8 January 2025. ETAs will then extend to eligible Europeans from 5 March 2025, who will need an ETA to travel from 2 April 2025.

ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller’s passport and ensure more robust security checks are carried out before people begin their journey to the UK, helping to prevent abuse of our immigration system. An ETA costs £10 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to 6 months at a time over 2 years or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner.  

From today, information about ETA eligibility is available on GOV.UK . Anyone needing to apply for an ETA will be able to do so through a quick and simple process using the UK ETA app.

Gulf Cooperation Council visitors already need an ETA to travel to the UK.

The introduction of ETAs is in line with the approach many other countries have taken to border security, including the US and Australia.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, said:

Digitisation enables a smooth experience for the millions of people who pass through the border every year, including the visitors we warmly welcome to the UK who are predicted to contribute over £32 billion to our tourism economy this year. The worldwide expansion of the ETA demonstrates our commitment to enhance security through new technology and embedding a modern immigration system.

People who need a UK visa to live, work or study in the UK are now issued with an eVisa, providing digital proof of immigration status, instead of physical immigration documents which can be lost, stolen, or tampered with. eVisas mean people no longer have to wait for or travel to collect a physical document, streamlining their experience.

The government is asking migrants in the UK who currently use a physical immigration document, including a biometric residence permit (BRP), or a passport containing ink stamps or visa vignette stickers, to take action now and create an online account to access their eVisa .

Most BRPs are due to expire on 31 December 2024, and BRP holders are urged to take action before their BRP expires.

Creating the account enables people to use online services to prove their rights and manage their data, such as their personal details and passport information, and won’t impact their underlying immigration status. Through government funding, extra support is being provided for vulnerable people who need to take action to move from physical documents to an eVisa.

The government continues to work closely with global airline, maritime and rail carriers, who are crucial to ensuring smooth implementation of our digitisation programme.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

• Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)
• Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Is this page useful.

• Yes this page is useful
• No this page is not useful

Help us improve GOV.UK

Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. Please fill in this survey (opens in a new tab) .