UK Department of Health & Social Care

09/22/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/21/2021 21:05

Red, amber, green lists: check the rules for travel to England from abroad

Guidance

Red, amber, green lists: check the rules for travel to England from abroad

Countries listed as red, amber or green for coronavirus (COVID-19) and the rules you must follow for travel to England.

From:Department for Transport and Department of Health and Social CarePublished7 May 2021Last updated 22 September 2021 - See all updates

Applies to England

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Changes to international travel rules

From 4am Monday 4 October 2021, the rules for international travel to England will change from the red, amber, green traffic light system to a single red list of countries and simplified travel measures for arrivals from the rest of the world. The rules for travel from countries and territories not on the red list will depend on your vaccination status.

If you arrive in England before 4 October, you must follow the current rules. This means you must book and take any COVID-19 tests you need and follow the quarantine rules that are in place at the time you arrive in England.

Travel from the rest of the world if you are fully vaccinated

From 4am Monday 4 October, you will qualify as fully vaccinated if you are vaccinated:

Formulations of the 4 listed vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, qualify as approved vaccines.

You must have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England.

Where 2 doses of a vaccine are required for a full course, you will be able to:

  • mix 2 different types of vaccine, for example Oxford/AstraZeneca and Moderna
  • have the 2 vaccinations under 2 different approved programmes, for example Australia and Japan, UK and USA, EU and Canada

Until 4 October, mixed vaccines are only permitted if you are vaccinated under the UK, Europe, USA or UK overseas vaccination programme.

The rules for fully vaccinated people will also apply if you are:

  • under 18 and resident in the UK or one of the listed countries with approved vaccination programmes
  • taking part in an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial in the UK, Australia, Canada or the USA

If you qualify as fully vaccinated you will have to:

  • book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test - to be taken after arrival in England
  • complete your passenger locator form - any time in the 48 hours before you arrive in England
  • take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 after you arrive in England

Under the new rules, you will not need to:

  • take a pre-departure test
  • take a day 8 COVID-19 test
  • quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 days after you arrive in England

You must be able to prove that you have been fully vaccinated (plus 14 days) with a document (digital or paper-based) from a national or state-level public health body that includes, as a minimum:

  • forename and surname(s)
  • date of birth
  • vaccine brand and manufacturer
  • date of vaccination for every dose
  • country or territory of vaccination and/or certificate issuer

If your document from a public health body does not include all of these, you must follow the non-vaccinated rules. If not, you may be denied boarding.

If you are fully vaccinated in the USA, you will also need to prove that you are a resident of the USA.

If you are fully vaccinated, but do not qualify under these fully vaccinated rules, you must follow the non-vaccinated rules.

Travel from the rest of the world if you are not fully vaccinated

From 4am Monday 4 October, you must follow these rules if you:

  • do not qualify under the fully vaccinated rules
  • are partially vaccinated
  • are not vaccinated

Before you travel to England you must:

After you arrive in England you must:

  • quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 days
  • take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8

You may be able to end quarantine early if you pay for a private COVID-19 test through the Test to Release scheme.

Travel from red countries

From 4am Monday 4 October, you must follow these rules if you are:

  • fully vaccinated
  • partially vaccinated
  • not vaccinated

If you have been in a country or territory on the red list in the last 10 days, you will only be allowed to enter the UK if you are a British or Irish national or you have residence rights in the UK.

Before you travel to England, you must:

When you arrive in England, you must quarantine in a managed hotel, including 2 COVID-19 tests.

This page tells you about the COVID-19 rules for travel to England. It lists countries and territories as red, amber or green and explains the different rules for each list.

Use this page to check:

  • which list a country or territory is on - red, amber or green
  • the 'travel to England' rules that apply for the countries and territories on each list

You can read separate guidance on what you need to do to travel abroad from England.

Red list of countries and territories

You should not travel to red list countries or territories.

Read the rules for red list countries and territories.

Red list Upcoming changes to the red list
Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Bolivia
Botswana
Brazil
Burundi
Cape Verde
Chile
Colombia
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
French Guiana
Georgia
Guyana
Haiti
Indonesia
Lesotho
Malawi
Mayotte
Mexico
Mongolia
Montenegro
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Réunion
Rwanda
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
Sudan
Suriname
Tanzania
Thailand
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Uganda
Uruguay
Venezuela
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Red list rules

What you must do if you have been in a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days before you arrive in England.

You must follow these rules even if you have been fully vaccinated.

If you have been in a country or territory on the red list in the last 10 days you will only be allowed to enter the UK if you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK.

There is separate guidance on what you need to do if you are travelling abroad from England.

Before you travel to England

Before you travel to England you must:

When you arrive in England

When you arrive in England you must:

Amber list of countries and territories

Read the rules for amber list countries and territories.

Amber list Upcoming changes to the amber list
Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Armenia
Aruba
Azerbaijan
The Bahamas
Bahrain
Belarus
Bangladesh If you arrived in England before 4am Wednesday 22 September you must follow the red list rules.
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Bosnia and Herzegovina
British Virgin Islands
Burkina Faso
Cambodia
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue
Côte d'Ivoire
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czech Republic (Czechia)
Djibouti
Egypt If you arrived in England before 4am Wednesday 22 September you must follow the red list rules.
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Estonia
Fiji
France
French Polynesia
Gabon
The Gambia
Ghana
Greece (including islands)
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Honduras
Hungary
India
Iran
Iraq
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya If you arrived in England before 4am Wednesday 22 September you must follow the red list rules.
Kiribati
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Luxembourg
Macao
Madagascar
Malaysia
Maldives If you arrived in England before 4am Wednesday 22 September you must follow the red list rules.
Mali
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Morocco
Nauru
Netherlands
New Caledonia
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
North Macedonia
The Occupied Palestinian Territories
Oman If you arrived in England before 4am Wednesday 22 September you must follow the red list rules.
Pakistan If you arrived in England before 4am Wednesday 22 September you must follow the red list rules.
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Poland
Portugal Madeira is on the green watchlist.
The Azores is on the green list.
Qatar
Russia
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Solomon Islands
South Korea
South Sudan
Spain, including the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands
(Formentera, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca)
Sri Lanka If you arrived in England before 4am Wednesday 22 September you must follow the red list rules.
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Maarten
St Martin and St Barthélemy
St Pierre and Miquelon
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Sweden
Syria
Tajikistan
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Turkey If you arrived in England before 4am Wednesday 22 September you must follow the red list rules.
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States (USA)
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna
Western Sahara
Yemen

The amber list is not exhaustive. If a country or territory is not on this list, you should not assume that it is a green or red list country or territory. Countries and territories are only green or red if they appear on the green or red list.

Countries moving to the red list

If conditions change in a country or territory, it can be moved from the amber list to the red list. If there is a sudden change in conditions, a country or territory may be moved between lists without warning.

Amber list rules

What you must do if you have been in a country or territory on the amber list in the 10 days before you arrive in England.

You can read separate guidance on what you need to do if you are travelling abroad from England.

Before you travel to England

Before you travel to England you must:

You must do these things whether you are fully vaccinated or not.

When you arrive in England

If you are fully vaccinated

After you arrive in England you must take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2.

This applies if you're fully vaccinated under either:

  • the UK vaccination programme
  • the UK vaccine programme overseas
  • an approved vaccination programme in Europe or the USA - not all are recognised in England

Find out how to prove you are fully vaccinated, which European countries this applies to and approved vaccination programmes for Europe and the USA.

It also applies if you are:

  • taking part in an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial in the UK or the USA
  • under 18 and resident in the UK, a UK Overseas Territory, the USA or one of the specified European countries

If you will be in England for less than 2 days you still need to book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test. You only need to take the test if you are still in England on day 2.

If you are not fully vaccinated

If you do not qualify under the fully vaccinated rules, on arrival in England you must:

  • quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 days
  • take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8

Read about the fully vaccinated rules, quarantine and taking COVID-19 tests after arrival in England.

If you are in England for less than 10 days, you need to quarantine for the time you are here. You need to book day 2 and day 8 travel tests. You only need to take the tests if you are still in England.

Test to Release scheme

If you need to quarantine, you may be able to end quarantine early if you pay for a private COVID-19 test through the Test to Release scheme.

If you have been in a country or territory on the red list

If you have also been in or through a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days before you arrive in England, you must follow the red list rules.

Read about making a transit stop in a red list country or territory.

Green list countries and territories

Read the rules for green list countries and territories.

Green list Green watchlist and upcoming changes to the green list
Anguilla Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Antarctica/British Antarctic Territory Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Antigua and Barbuda Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Austria
Australia
The Azores Mainland Portugal is on the amber list.
Barbados Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Bermuda Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
British Indian Ocean Territory Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Brunei
Bulgaria
Canada
Cayman Islands Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Croatia Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Denmark
Dominica Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Finland
Germany
Gibraltar
Grenada Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Hong Kong
Iceland
Israel and Jerusalem Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Latvia
Liechtenstein .
Lithuania
Madeira Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Mainland Portugal is on the amber list.
Malta
Montserrat Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
New Zealand
Norway
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Romania
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Switzerland
Taiwan Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.
Turks and Caicos Islands Green watchlist - at risk of moving from green to amber.

Countries on the green watchlist or moving to amber

If conditions change in a country or territory, it can be moved from the green list to the amber or red list.

If a country or territory on the green list is at risk of moving to amber it will also be listed on the green watchlist.

If there is a sudden change in conditions, a country or territory may be moved between lists without warning.

Green list rules

What you have to do if you travel to England from a country or territory on the green list. You must only have been in or travelled through a green list country or the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man in the previous 10 days.

You must follow these rules even if you have been fully vaccinated.

You can read separate guidance on what you need to do if you are travelling abroad from England.

Before travel to England

Before you travel to England you must:

When you arrive in England

After you arrive in England you must take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2.

You do not need to quarantine unless the test result is positive.

If you will be in England for less than 2 days you still need to book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test. You only need to take the test if you are still in England on day 2.

You may need to self-isolate if NHS Test and Trace notifies you that you've been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Check the rules about NHS Test and Trace for more information.

If you have been in a country or territory on the red or amber list

If you have also been in or through a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days before you arrive in England, you must follow the red list rules.

If you have also been in or through a country or territory on the amber list in the 10 days before you arrive in England, and have not visited a country on the red list, you must follow the amber list rules.

Read about making a transit stop in an amber or red list country or territory.

Travelling with children

Read separate guidance about travelling abroad, including different testing age limits for children.

Ireland, the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man

You do not need to take a COVID-19 test or quarantine on arrival in England if you are travelling within the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, (the Common Travel Area), and you have not been outside of the Common Travel Area in the previous 10 days.

Transiting through amber or red list countries on your way to England

When you arrive in England you need to follow the rules for the highest risk country or territory that you have been in or passed through in the previous 10 days. That can include transit stops.

A transit stop is a stop where passengers can get on or off the same part of the transport in which you are travelling. It can apply to ships, trains or flights. Your ticket should show if a stop is a transit stop.

The rules of a country or territory that you make a transit stop in could apply if:

  • new passengers get on and are able to mix with you
  • you or other passengers get off the transport you are on and mix with other people, then get on again

Making a transit stop would not affect what you have to do on arrival in England if, during the stop:

  • no new passengers, who are able to mix with you, get on
  • no-one on-board gets off and mixes with people outside
  • passengers get off but do not get back on

Private vehicles or coaches travelling through amber or red list countries and territories

If you are travelling to England in a private vehicle, the rules of the countries and territories you drive through apply. For example, if you drive through an amber list country, then you must follow the amber list rules when you arrive in England.

This applies whether you stop in the country or territory or not. You need to record the countries and territories you drive through on your passenger locator form.

Transiting through England

Find out the rules if you are transiting through England on your way to another country.

Job and medical exemptions

Some people are exempt from some or all of the requirements because of the job they do.

Read about medical exemptions from:

Travelling abroad from England

Read an overview of all the things you need to do to:

You should not travel to red list countries or territories.

NHS COVID Pass - proving your COVID-19 vaccination status

An NHS COVID Pass shows your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination details or test results. This is your COVID-19 vaccination status.

You can use the NHS COVID Pass to prove your vaccination status when you:

  • enter another country while travelling abroad
  • return to England if you have been in an amber list country or territory

Find out:

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel advice continues to advise against all non-essential travel to some countries and territories. Many other countries have rules in place about who can enter and what you can do when you are there. These rules are not related to which colour list that country is on. Before you travel, you should read FCDO travel advice for the countries you will visit.

Stay up-to-date

The risk posed by individual countries and territories is continuously monitored and the green, amber and red lists are reviewed every 3 weeks.

Countries and territories can be moved between lists if conditions change. Sign up for an email alert to be notified when this page is updated.

Published 7 May 2021
Last updated 22 September 2021 + show all updates
  1. 22 September 2021

    Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey move to the amber list. New rules for 4 October on under 18s and the use of 2 different vaccines for fully vaccinated travellers made clearer.

  2. 17 September 2021

    Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey will move to the amber list at 4am Wednesday 22 September.

  3. 30 August 2021

    Montenegro and Thailand move to the red list. The Azores, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland move to the green list.

  4. 26 August 2021

    Montenegro and Thailand will move to the red list 4am Monday 30 August. The Azores, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland will move to the green list.

  5. 8 August 2021

    The fully vaccinated amber rules now apply to France. List movements - Austria, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia move to green list. Bahrain, India, Qatar and United Arab Emirates move to amber list. Georgia, Mayotte, Mexico and Reunion move to red list.

  6. 4 August 2021

    From 4am Sunday 8 August, the fully vaccinated amber rules will apply to France. At the same time, Austria, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia will move to green list. Bahrain, India, Qatar and United Arab Emirates will move to amber list. Georgia, Mayotte, Mexico and Reunion will move to red list.

  7. 28 July 2021

    From 2 August, people who have been fully vaccinated in many European countries or the USA will not need to quarantine on arrival in England or take a day 8 test.

  8. 19 July 2021

    Changes to amber list rules on quarantine and testing.

  9. 16 July 2021

    France will not be included in the amber list country exemption for people who are fully UK vaccinated.

  10. 14 July 2021

    Bulgaria and Hong Kong will move to the green list plus Croatia and Taiwan will move to the green watchlist 4am, Monday 19 July. Balearic Islands and British Virgin Islands will move from green to amber list. Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sierra Leone will move from amber to red list.

  11. 8 July 2021

    The rules for amber list countries and territories will change Monday 19 July.

  12. 30 June 2021

    Anguilla, Antarctica/British Antarctic Territory, Antigua and Barbuda, Balearic islands, Barbados, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Madeira, Malta, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands moved from amber to green list 4am, 30 June. Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Haiti, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda moved from amber to red list.

  13. 24 June 2021

    Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Balearic islands, Barbados, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Madeira, Malta, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands will move from amber to green list 4am, 30 June. Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Haiti, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda will move from amber to red list.

  14. 8 June 2021

    Portugal moved from green to amber list 4am, 8 June. Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Trinidad and Tobago moved from amber to red list.

  15. 3 June 2021

    Portugal will move from green to amber list 4am, 8 June. Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Trinidad and Tobago will move from amber to red list.

  16. 17 May 2021

    New green list of countries and territories with Australia, Brunei, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Israel and Jerusalem, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha moved from the amber list.

  17. 12 May 2021

    Maldives, Nepal and Turkey moved to the red list 4am, Wednesday 12 May.

  18. 7 May 2021

    First published.

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