Red, amber and green list rules for entering England
Countries rated as red, amber or green for Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the rules you must follow to enter England.
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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.
Red list countries and territories
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 vaccinated.
Before travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- take a COVID-19 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:
Red list of countries and territories
You should not travel to red list countries or territories.
| Red list | Red watchlist - moves from or to green or amber list | |
|---|---|---|
| Angola | ||
| Argentina | ||
| Bangladesh | ||
| Bolivia | ||
| Botswana | ||
| Brazil | ||
| Burundi | ||
| Cape Verde | ||
| Chile | ||
| Colombia | ||
| Congo (Democratic Republic) | ||
| Ecuador | ||
| Eswatini | ||
| Ethiopia | ||
| French Guiana | ||
| Guyana | ||
| India | ||
| Kenya | ||
| Lesotho | ||
| Malawi | ||
| Maldives | ||
| Mozambique | ||
| Namibia | ||
| Nepal | ||
| Oman | ||
| Pakistan | ||
| Panama | ||
| Paraguay | ||
| Peru | ||
| Philippines | ||
| Qatar | ||
| Rwanda | ||
| Seychelles | ||
| Somalia | ||
| South Africa | ||
| Suriname | ||
| Tanzania | ||
| Turkey | ||
| United Arab Emirates (UAE) | ||
| Uruguay | ||
| Venezuela | ||
| Zambia | ||
| Zimbabwe |
Amber list countries and territories
What you must do if you have been in an amber country or territory in the 10 days before you arrive in England.
You must follow these rules even if you have been vaccinated.
Before travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- take a COVID-19 test
- book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 travel 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.
You may be able to end quarantine early if you pay for a private COVID-19 test through the Test to Release scheme.
Travel within the UK, Ireland, 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.
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.
Countries on the watchlist or moving to red
If conditions change in a country or territory, it can be moved from the amber list to the red list. If that is likely to happen, this will normally be flagged in the Amber watchlist column in the table below. If there is a sudden change in conditions, a country or territory may be moved between lists without warning.
Amber list of countries and territories
You should not travel to amber list countries or territories.
| Amber list | Amber watchlist - moves from or to green or red list |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | |
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia | |
| Albania | |
| Algeria | |
| Andorra | |
| Anguilla | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | |
| Armenia | |
| Aruba | |
| Austria | |
| Azerbaijan | |
| The Bahamas | |
| Bahrain | |
| Barbados | |
| Belarus | |
| Belgium | |
| Belize | |
| Benin | |
| Bermuda | |
| Bhutan | |
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| British Antarctic Territory | |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | |
| British Virgin Islands | |
| Bulgaria | |
| Burkina Faso | |
| Cambodia | |
| Cameroon | |
| Canada | |
| Cayman Islands | |
| Central African Republic | |
| Chad | |
| China | |
| Comoros | |
| Congo | |
| Cook Islands | |
| Costa Rica | |
| Côte d’Ivoire | |
| Croatia | |
| Cuba | |
| Curaçao | |
| Cyprus | |
| Czech Republic (Czechia) | |
| Denmark | |
| Djibouti | |
| Dominica | |
| Dominican Republic | |
| Egypt | |
| El Salvador | |
| Equatorial Guinea | |
| Eritrea | |
| Estonia | |
| Fiji | |
| Finland | |
| France | |
| French Polynesia | |
| Gabon | |
| The Gambia | |
| Georgia | |
| Germany | |
| Ghana | |
| Greece (including islands) | |
| Greenland | |
| Grenada | |
| Guadeloupe | |
| Guatemala | |
| Guinea | |
| Guinea-Bissau | |
| Haiti | |
| Honduras | |
| Hong Kong | |
| Hungary | |
| Indonesia | |
| Iran | |
| Iraq | |
| Italy | |
| Jamaica | |
| Japan | |
| Jordan | |
| Kazakhstan | |
| Kiribati | |
| Kosovo | |
| Kuwait | |
| Kyrgyzstan | |
| Laos | |
| Latvia | |
| Lebanon | |
| Liberia | |
| Libya | |
| Liechtenstein | |
| Lithuania | |
| Luxembourg | |
| Macao | |
| Madagascar | |
| Malaysia | |
| Mali | |
| Malta | |
| Marshall Islands | |
| Martinique | |
| Mauritania | |
| Mauritius | |
| Mayotte | |
| Mexico | |
| Micronesia | |
| Moldova | |
| Monaco | |
| Mongolia | |
| Montenegro | |
| Montserrat | |
| Morocco | |
| Myanmar (Burma) | |
| Nauru | |
| Netherlands | |
| New Caledonia | |
| Nicaragua | |
| Niger | |
| Nigeria | |
| North Korea | |
| North Macedonia | |
| Norway | |
| The Occupied Palestinian Territories | |
| Palau | |
| Papua New Guinea | |
| Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands | |
| Poland | |
| Réunion | |
| Romania | |
| Russia | |
| Samoa | |
| San Marino | |
| Sao Tome and Principe | |
| Saudi Arabia | |
| Senegal | |
| Serbia | |
| Sierra Leone | |
| Slovakia | |
| Slovenia | |
| Solomon Islands | |
| South Korea | |
| South Sudan | |
| Spain (including the Balearics and Canary Islands) | |
| Sri Lanka | |
| St Kitts and Nevis | |
| St Lucia | |
| St Martin and St Barthélemy | |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | |
| Sudan | |
| Sweden | |
| Switzerland | |
| Syria | |
| Taiwan | |
| Tajikistan | |
| Thailand | |
| Timor-Leste | |
| Togo | |
| Tonga | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Tunisia | |
| Turkmenistan | |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | |
| Tuvalu | |
| Uganda | |
| Ukraine | |
| United States (USA) | |
| Uzbekistan | |
| Vanuatu | |
| 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.
Green list countries and territories
This section tells you what you will 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 vaccinated.
Before travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- take a COVID-19 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.
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.
Countries on the 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 that is likely to happen, this will normally be flagged in the green watchlist column in the table below. If there is a sudden change in conditions, a country or territory may be moved between lists without warning.
Green list of countries and territories
| Green list | Green watchlist - moves from or to amber or red list |
|---|---|
| Australia | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| Brunei | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| Falkland Islands | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| Faroe Islands | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| Gibraltar | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| Iceland | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| Israel and Jerusalem | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| New Zealand | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira) | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| Singapore | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
| St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | Moved to green list from amber list 4am, 17 May. If you arrived in England before then, you need to follow the amber list rules. |
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.
Travel within the UK, Ireland, 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.
Job and medical exemptions
Some people are exempt from some or all of the requirements:
Travelling abroad from England
You should not travel to amber list or red list countries or territories.
Demonstrating your COVID-19 vaccination status when travelling abroad
People in England who have had a full vaccine course (2 doses) can demonstrate their COVID-19 vaccination status for outbound international travel.
Other countries or territories determine their own border health rules, which may include COVID-19 vaccination status. Check the entry requirements for your destination before travelling.
Find out:
- about demonstrating your NHS COVID-19 vaccination status using the NHS App, NHS website or letter
- 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 government is working with the devolved administrations to ensure this facility is available to everyone across the UK.
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:
Last updated 17 May 2021
