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.
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.
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:
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 | Upcoming changes to the red list |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | |
| Angola | |
| Argentina | |
| Bahrain | |
| Bangladesh | |
| Bolivia | |
| Botswana | |
| Brazil | |
| Burundi | |
| Cape Verde | |
| Chile | |
| Colombia | |
| Congo (Democratic Republic) | |
| Costa Rica | |
| Cuba | |
| Dominican Republic | |
| Ecuador | |
| Egypt | |
| Eritrea | |
| Eswatini | |
| Ethiopia | |
| French Guiana | |
| Guyana | |
| Haiti | |
| India | |
| Indonesia | |
| Kenya | |
| Lesotho | |
| Malawi | |
| Maldives | |
| Mongolia | |
| Mozambique | |
| Myanmar | |
| Namibia | |
| Nepal | |
| Oman | |
| Pakistan | |
| Panama | |
| Paraguay | |
| Peru | |
| Philippines | |
| Qatar | |
| Rwanda | |
| Seychelles | |
| Sierra Leone | |
| Somalia | |
| South Africa | |
| Sri Lanka | |
| Sudan | |
| Suriname | |
| Tanzania | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Tunisia | |
| Turkey | |
| Uganda | |
| United Arab Emirates (UAE) | |
| 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.
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
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 | |
| Austria | |
| Azerbaijan | |
| The Bahamas | |
| Belarus | |
| Belgium | |
| Belize | |
| Benin | |
| Bhutan | |
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| British Virgin Islands | |
| Burkina Faso | |
| Cambodia | |
| Cameroon | |
| Canada | |
| Central African Republic | |
| Chad | |
| China | |
| Comoros | |
| Congo | |
| Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue | |
| Côte d’Ivoire | |
| Curaçao | |
| Cyprus | |
| Czech Republic (Czechia) | |
| Denmark | |
| Djibouti | |
| El Salvador | |
| Equatorial Guinea | |
| Estonia | |
| Fiji | |
| Finland | |
| France | |
| French Polynesia | |
| Gabon | |
| The Gambia | |
| Georgia | |
| Germany | |
| Ghana | |
| Greece (including islands) | |
| Greenland | |
| Guadeloupe | |
| Guatemala | |
| Guinea | |
| Guinea-Bissau | |
| Honduras | |
| Hungary | |
| Iran | |
| Iraq | |
| Italy | |
| Jamaica | |
| Japan | |
| Jordan | |
| Kazakhstan | |
| Kiribati | |
| Kosovo | |
| Kuwait | |
| Kyrgyzstan | |
| Laos | |
| Latvia | |
| Lebanon | |
| Liberia | |
| Libya | |
| Liechtenstein | |
| Lithuania | |
| Luxembourg | |
| Macao | |
| Madagascar | |
| Malaysia | |
| Mali | |
| Marshall Islands | |
| Martinique | |
| Mauritania | |
| Mauritius | |
| Mayotte | |
| Mexico | |
| Micronesia | |
| Moldova | |
| Monaco | |
| Montenegro | |
| Morocco | |
| Nauru | |
| Netherlands | |
| New Caledonia | |
| Nicaragua | |
| Niger | |
| Nigeria | |
| North Korea | |
| North Macedonia | |
| Norway | |
| The Occupied Palestinian Territories | |
| Palau | |
| Papua New Guinea | |
| Poland | |
| Portugal (including the Azores) | Madeira is on the green watchlist. |
| Réunion | |
| Romania | |
| Russia | |
| Samoa | |
| San Marino | |
| Sao Tome and Principe | |
| Saudi Arabia | |
| Senegal | |
| Serbia | |
| Slovakia | |
| Slovenia | |
| Solomon Islands | |
| South Korea | |
| South Sudan | |
| Spain, including the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands (Formentera, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca) | |
| St Kitts and Nevis | |
| St Lucia | |
| St Maarten | |
| St Martin and St Barthélemy | |
| St Pierre and Miquelon | |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | |
| Sweden | |
| Switzerland | |
| Syria | |
| Tajikistan | |
| Thailand | |
| Timor-Leste | |
| Togo | |
| Tonga | |
| Turkmenistan | |
| Tuvalu | |
| 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.
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.
Before travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- take a COVID-19 test – you must take the test in the 3 days before you travel to England
- book and pay for 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 after arrival in England.
Fully UK vaccinated and people under the age of 18 – amber rules
You do not need to quarantine or take a day 8 test after you arrive in England if you are either:
- fully vaccinated in the UK or under the UK vaccine programme overseas
- under 18 on the day you arrive in England and resident in the UK or in a country with a vaccination programme approved by the UK
- part of a UK-approved vaccine trial
You must have had your final dose of the vaccine at least 14 whole days before the date you arrive in England. You still need to book and take a day 2 test.
Read more about the being fully vaccinated and the amber list rules for children and young people.
France
If you have been in France in the 10 days before you arrive in England, you must follow the standard amber list rules, even if you have been fully UK vaccinated. You must quarantine for 10 days and take both the day 2 and day 8 tests.
New amber list rules if vaccinated in Europe or the USA
From 2 August, if you’ve been fully vaccinated in the USA or many European countries, you will not need to quarantine when you arrive in England or take a day 8 test. You still need to book and take a day 2 test.
Find out more about the new amber list rules for Europe and the USA.
If you will be in England for less than 10 days
If you’re travelling to England for less than 10 days, you will need to quarantine for the whole of your stay.
You must still book your day 2 and day 8 travel tests, even if you will no longer be in England on the dates of the tests. You only need to take the tests if you’re still in the country on those dates.
Test to Release scheme
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. |
| Australia | |
| 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 | |
| Cayman Islands | Green watchlist – at risk of moving from green to amber. |
| Croatia | |
| Dominica | Green watchlist – at risk of moving from green to amber. |
| Falkland Islands | |
| Faroe Islands | |
| 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. |
| Madeira | Green watchlist – at risk of moving from green to amber. Mainland Portugal and the Azores are on the amber list. |
| Malta | |
| Montserrat | Green watchlist – at risk of moving from green to amber. |
| New Zealand | |
| Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands | Green watchlist – at risk of moving from green to amber. |
| Singapore | |
| South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | |
| St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | |
| Taiwan | |
| 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.
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.
Last updated 28 July 2021
