Countries rated as red, amber or green for Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the rules you must follow to enter England.
What you must do when you arrive in England from abroad depends on where you have been in the 10 days before you arrive.
This page lists countries and territories as red, amber or green and tells you what you must do if you have been in those countries or territories.
You can also read an overview of all the things you need to do to:
- travel abroad from England
- travel to England if you live in another country
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Red list of countries and territories
Read the rules for red list countries and territories.
You should not travel to red list countries or territories.
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.
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.
You must follow these rules even if you have been fully vaccinated.
Before travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- take a COVID-19 test – children aged 10 and under do not need to take this test
- book a quarantine hotel package, including 2 COVID-19 tests
- complete a passenger locator form
On arrival in England
On arrival in England you must:
Amber list of countries and territories
What you need to do before and after you travel depends on whether you have been fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme. Check the:
- amber list rules if you are fully UK vaccinated
- amber list rules if you are not fully UK vaccinatedThe 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 if you are fully UK vaccinated
These rules only apply if you are fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme.
If you are not fully UK vaccinated, or you have been in France in the 10 days before you arrive in England, you must follow the amber list rules for people who are not fully UK vaccinated.
Before travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- take a COVID-19 test – children aged 10 and under do not need to take this test
- book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test – to be taken after arrival in England
- complete a passenger locator form
You will need to:
- declare that you have been fully UK vaccinated on your passenger locator form, or are taking part or have taken part in a formally approved UK COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial for COVID-19 vaccine, or you are under 18 and resident in the UK
- show proof of your vaccination status to your carrier (ferry, airline or train) when you travel
Read about how you can use the NHS COVID Pass to show proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status.
You should make sure that your passport and NHS COVID Pass are up to date with your latest details, including your name and date of birth. If the details do not match, you may have to complete another passenger locator form, face delays, or even be denied boarding.
If your personal details have changed, for example because you have changed your name, you should have evidence as to why your personal details are different.
On arrival in England
You must take a COVID-19 PCR test on or before day 2 after you arrive. Children aged 4 and under do not need to take this test.
You do not need to quarantine unless the day 2 test result is positive.
You must quarantine at home or in the place you are staying if NHS Test & Trace informs you that you travelled to England or otherwise come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
If you arrived in England before 4am on Monday 19 July, you must continue to quarantine for 10 days and take day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 tests.
France – important information
If you have been in France in the 10 days before you arrive in England, you must follow the amber list rules for people who are not fully UK vaccinated.
This means you must quarantine for 10 days on arrival in England and take day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 tests. You will need to book these tests in advance.
When you complete your passenger locator form you must choose ‘No / Prefer not to say’ when asked if you are exempt from the requirement to quarantine and take a day 8 test. This is under the section of the form titled ‘Your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination status’.
Fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme
These amber list rules only apply if you are either:
- fully vaccinated in the UK or under the UK vaccine programme overseas
- participating or have participated in a formally approved clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine in the UK
- ordinarily resident in the UK and under the age of 18 at the time you arrive
You must have had your final dose of the vaccine at least 14 whole days before the date you arrive in England. The day you have your final dose of the vaccine does not count as one of the 14 days. You may have had one dose of the vaccine in the UK and one dose under the UK vaccine programme overseas.
The UK vaccine programme overseas applies to:
- residents of the British Overseas Territories, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man with the UK government, and their dependants under 18
- crown servants, UK government contractors or other personnel posted or based overseas under the FCDO staff COVID-19 vaccination programme and their dependants
- military or civilian personnel, UK government contractors and their dependants at a military posting overseas, including the British Overseas Territories, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, under the vaccination scheme provided or approved by the UK Defence Medical Services
The UK government is working with the British Overseas Territory governments to agree what form the proof of vaccination should take.
If you are not fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme, you must follow the amber list rules for people who are not fully UK vaccinated.
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.
Amber list rules if you are not fully UK vaccinated
These rules apply if you are not fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme.
They also apply if you have been in France in the 10 days before you arrive in England, even if you are fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme.
Before travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- take a COVID-19 test – children aged 10 and under do not need to take this test
- book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 tests – to be taken after arrival in England
- complete a passenger locator form
On arrival in England
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 quarantine and taking COVID-19 tests.
Children aged 4 and under do not need to take the day 2 or day 8 test.
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
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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.
Before travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- take a COVID-19 test – children aged 10 and under do not need to take this test
- book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test – to be taken after arrival in England
- complete a passenger locator form
On arrival in England
You must take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 after you arrive.
Children aged 4 and under do not need to take this test.
You do not need to quarantine unless the test result is positive.
You must quarantine if NHS Test & Trace informs you that you travelled to England with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
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.
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.
Transit stops in amber or red list countries
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 airports in England
See what you need to do if you are transiting ‘landside’ or transiting ‘airside’ through England.
Job and medical exemptions
Some people are exempt from some or all of the requirements:
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.
Demonstrating your COVID-19 vaccination status when travelling abroad
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:
- about using the NHS COVID Pass to demonstrate your vaccination status
- if the countries or territories you are travelling to accept proof of COVID-19 vaccination status as part of their entry requirements
- how to prove your COVID-19 vaccination status if you are a resident of Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales
The UK government is working with the British overseas territory governments to agree what form the proof of vaccination should take.
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.
