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The UK's official Travel Corridor List is comprised of countries with a very low rate of cases and low risk of infection.
Citizens returning to the UK from one of these countries, or visitors entering the UK from one of these countries, are NOT obliged to quarantine for 10-days.
The list is updated every week
Countries on the UK's Travel Corridor List
(As of January 11, 2021)
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Australia
- the Azores
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bonaire/St Eustatius/Saba
- British Antarctic Territory
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Cayman Islands
- the Channel Islands
- Chile
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- Finland
- Gibraltar
- Greek islands: Corfu, Crete, Kos, Rhodes, Zakynthos
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Hong Kong
- Iceland
- Ireland
- the Isle of Man
- Japan
- Laos
- Macao (Macau)
- Madeira
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Montserrat
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Norway
- Pacific Islands (Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu)
- Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
- Qatar
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- Sri Lanka
- St Barthélemy
- St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Pierre and Miquelon
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Vietnam
Recent Updates to the Travel Corridor List
January 9:
Seychelles, Mauritius, Israel and Botswana were removed from the corridor list.
December 17:
Removals to the corridor list (quarantine now required) Uruguay, USVI, Namibia
December 10:
New Additions to the corridor list: Botswana, Saudi Arabia,
Removals to the corridor list (quarantine now required) Canary Islands
November 21: No removals from the Corridor list.
New Additions: Bonaire, Rwanda, Israel, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands
Recent Updates to the Travel Corridor List
Recent Updates
October 22: Maldives, Denmark, Canary islands, Greek Island – Mykonos all do not require a quarantine and have been added to the corridor.
Removed: Liechtenstein – Will have to quarantine
October 15: Italy, San Marino and Vatican City have been removed from the corridor list. Quarantine now required.
October 9th: The following Greek islands: Serifos, Santorini, Lesvos, Zakynthos, and Tinos – have all been added back to the travel corridor, meaning NO quarantine required.
October 1st : The following countries will be removed from the UK's travel corridor and quarantine free exemption list on October 3rd:
- Poland
- Turkey
- St Maarten
- St Martin
- The British Virgin Islands
- Seychelles
Recent Updates
Sept 24: The following countries will be removed from the UK's travel corridor and quarantine free exemption list on September 26:
- Curaçao
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Slovakia
The above list is all the countries Brits can go and not have to quarantine upon return, but what countries are currently accepting UK tourists? We have a full list of EVERY country worldwide that is allowing Brits
Looking for entry requirements for travel INTO the UK? Find that HERE
The above countries are being defined as official ‘travel corridors' with the UK, starting on July 10, 2020.
Passengers do not have to self-isolate/quarantine upon arrival if they travel exclusively to the above nations.
UK Travel Corridor Rules
From 10 July 2020 you will not have to self-isolate when you arrive in England, if you:
- are travelling or returning from one of the travel corridor countries
- have not been to or stopped in a country that’s not on the travel corridor list in the previous 14 day
This applies to all travel to England, by train, ferry, coach, air or any other route.
If you have been to or stopped in a country that’s not on the travel corridor list you will have to self-isolate until 14 days have passed since you left that country.
Is this the same as the proposed ‘air-bridge'?
Yes, it is the same idea, but is being called a ‘travel corridor' instead of ‘air-bridge' as it also applies to travel by train, ferry, coach, etc.
Air Bridges (international travel corridors) will allow travel to England without 14-day quarantine from 10 July from the countries & territories in this OFFICIAL list I've published here 👇https://t.co/5gmIVSBK00
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) July 3, 2020
Is this only for UK citizens, or for travellers visiting the UK?
Grant Schapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, says these new rules will allow for “travel to England”, clarifying this is for both UK citizens returning home after travel, AND for third-party visitors coming into England.
Original Story published July 3rd continues below…
As the UK sits on the edge of their seat waiting on the latest Air Bridge news to formally be announced, more updates became public today about countries that may be included on the safe-lists, and a date of when this could all be set into motion.
Boris Johnson was expected to announce today, on June 29 that deals have been put in place for so-called air bridges with a “small number” of countries with low levels of coronavirus.
This would mean Britons could go on holiday without having to spend 14 days in quarantine when they return. Foreign tourists would also be able to come to the UK without having to self-isolate on arrival.
The government has in fact confirmed they will be dropping the 14-day quarantine for certain countries so that UK citizens can still travel this summer.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary stated:
“Today I can confirm that the government will shortly begin to ease the health measures at the UK border, allowing passengers to be exempted from self-isolation requirements in certain circumstances on arrival in the UK.”
My Statement to Parliament on exempting passengers from self-isolation requirements in certain circumstances (i.e. International Travel Corridors or Air Corridors) on arrival in the UK. pic.twitter.com/ef6fgewfGO
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) June 29, 2020
A proposed traffic light system for UK travellers was created by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer, and if approved will come into play for July 6th.
On the list are countries divided up into 3 colors based on factors like prevalence of the virus, how reliable the data is coming out of the nation, and what the trajectory looks like for the next coming weeks.
Green countries = Quarantine-free travel. Nations having a lower risk than the UK
Amber countries = Quarantine-free travel. Nations having a higher-risk than the UK, but still low risk of contracting the virus on vacation. Additional measures may apply.
Red countries = Quarantine-required travel. Nations where the risk is too high to enable UK tourists to return home without a quarantine period.
Two noticeably absent countries include the United States, of which we don’t expect to show on any list but red, and Turkey, who is currently in talks with the UK in a potential air-bridge deal.
Greece was a nation originally thought to be in the final stages of an air-bridge deal, but today announced they have extended the ban on UK arrivals until at least July 15th.
Portugal is another nation believed to be included in an air-bridge deal but shows as a ‘red’ country on the above list, which would still require quarantine protocols.
A decision is expected to be made for a list of countries with quarantine-free travel, or approved air-bridge nations, by July 6th. If the decision becomes a formal announcement, the Foreign Office is also expected to lift the current travel advisory from its current “against all but essential international travel.”
The UK only put the 14-day quarantine period in place on June 8th, and has been in talks to make international travel corridor exceptions almost from the very day of its inception.
The European Union is also on the cusp of announcing the dates when they will be reopening their borders for tourism to 14 countries outside the EU.
The list is tentative and has not yet been finalized by the European Union but is expected to be announced Tuesday June 30th by mid-day.
Read More: See our complete guide of countries now reopen for international tourism, which countries are expected to be able to travel to the EU, and which cruise ships have reopened for sailings.
Sources: The Daily Mail / gov.uk / @grantschapps / telegraph.co.uk
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Mack K K
Tuesday 10th of November 2020
Hi Kashlee
Thanks for the information and updates. There is not much about the GCC Region.
May I request you to please clarify if citizens / residents of Oman are permitted to enter UK for tourism purpose ? Will the quarantine condition apply ?
Kashlee Kucheran
Wednesday 11th of November 2020
Any passenger entering the UK will have to quarantine for 14 days. And currently, with the lockdown, there is no tourism-based things open, so it is not the time to go. Hotels might not accept your booking if it is for tourism.
Karn
Sunday 25th of October 2020
Is u.k open for Indian tourists?
Kashlee Kucheran
Monday 26th of October 2020
The UK isn't really 'open' per se for anyone. Any nation entering the UK must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival
Alex
Sunday 11th of October 2020
Kashlee any news on Canada or why despite low numbers it’s not on the list. The first answer I got was rather glib!
Kashlee Kucheran
Monday 12th of October 2020
The UK hardly has any countries left on their list, but Canada has had a sudden rise in cases, not helping the cause. I don't have the answers, much of this is very political and not always 100% science-based.
Danail
Sunday 27th of September 2020
I am visiting England from Bulgaria for 5 days. If I flight first to Spain and then from Spain to England do I have to self quarantine? Thank you
Kashlee Kucheran
Sunday 27th of September 2020
Yes - Currently anyone arriving from Spain, even if it was a transit, will be required to quarantine upon arrival into the UK
Alex
Wednesday 23rd of September 2020
I am trying to understand why Canada is not on the list of safe countries when it’s numbers are lower than many that are, and lower than the UK? It makes no sense?
ariddles
Wednesday 23rd of September 2020
It is not listed as safe because: boris johnson
Why use science and maths, when you just bumble around like a 6 year old child? (apologies to 6 year old children). The government clearly has no idea what it is doing with countries on the exempt list or with any other aspect of COVID.