It’s farewell, adieu, sayonara to the traffic-light system for Brits looking to travel abroad. From October 4, the red-amber-green division will be replaced by one that looks more like “stop-go”. Together with the scrapping of one of the compulsory Covid-19 tests for most travellers — and a more generous definition of “fully vaccinated” that includes children — international travel this autumn will involve that bit less expense and hassle.
Main photo: Mardin, Turkey (Getty Images)
What are the rules now?
When planning a trip overseas there are two main questions you now have to consider: is your destination on the red list, and are you fully vaccinated? If your respective answers are “no” and “yes”, then the fiddliest thing you have to do for the UK return leg is to book your Day 2 test, and even that is set to become simpler (more on that later). You will still need to fill in a passenger locator form as well.
The “fully vaccinated” label doesn’t just apply to people who have been double-jabbed in the UK, with more countries’ vaccine programmes being recognised, and some mixing of vaccines for first and second shots allowed. Simplified travel privileges for the fully vaccinated also apply to anyone under 18 who lives in the UK or a country with a vaccine programme recognised by the UK authorities. You can find a list, together with the new rules in full, on the UK government portal.
As ever, these regulations from the Department for Transport are just one side of the coin. For travel out of the UK you’ll need to consider not just the rules in your destination but whether that country has a UK Foreign Office advisory against it, for Covid or any other reason, with implications for your travel insurance. You can check country-specific information here.
Does the amber list exist?
Not by name after October 4, but effectively yes. All destinations outside the UK and Ireland will now be placed on one of two lists: a continued red list (see below for what that means) and the rest of the world. The latter means a merging of the green and amber lists, but the new rules are closer to those of the old amber list than the green list. Before October 4, non-vaccinated travellers could come to the UK from green-list countries without having to do home quarantine — now they will have to.
Which countries have moved tier?
The most recent updates from Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, and his DfT colleagues came on September 17 and, unlike previous announcements, it was all good news for travellers. Eight countries left the red list: Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, the Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey — the last one being the most anticipated.
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Fully vaccinated travellers will no longer have to arrange a pre-departure test abroad before returning to the UK (Getty Images)
What are the changes to testing?
The biggest relief for fully vaccinated travellers will be no longer having to arrange a pre-departure test abroad in the days before returning to the UK. If you’re planning a trip to a country that doesn’t ask for Covid-19 tests from fully vaccinated arrivals (France, for example), that means you can now get through the whole holiday process with only one test needed: the UK Day 2 test. This is the same requirement as before, to get tested at some point between your arrival in the UK (day 0) and the end of day 2.
Also announced at the same time, but not likely to take effect until later in October, is the replacement of those Day 2 PCR tests with cheaper lateral flow tests for returning double-jabbed travellers. This is one change that may not be reflected across the whole of the UK, although even when devolved governments have criticised changes to travel policies announced from Westminster, a “four nations” approach has usually won out in the end. The Test to Release scheme remains the only major England-only travel regulation. This will continue to be an option for those who have to do home quarantine after October 4.
What happens if your country goes red?
If a country you have been in during the previous ten days joins the red list, and the change is in force by the time you arrive in the UK, you will need to stay for 11 nights in a quarantine hotel, regardless of your vaccination status — the same red-list rules as before. Travellers from red-list countries must book an approved quarantine hotel before returning to the UK; this costs £2,285 for a single adult, £3,715 for a couple, or £6,575 for two parents and two children over 11.
There are currently 54 countries and territories on the red list, including all of mainland South America and southern Africa, plus a few more in Southeast Asia, Central America and the Caribbean. The nearest red-list countries to the UK are Montenegro and Tunisia, and other popular destinations on the list include Cape Verde, Cuba, Mexico, Tanzania and Thailand. Government updates to the red list should come every three weeks (the next reviews are due on or around October 7 and October 28), but a red listing could happen suddenly if the Covid situation in the country worsens dramatically. Typically there are three or four days between the announcement and any changes coming into force, meaning a scramble for flights from newly red-listed countries that get back to the UK before 4am on the day in question.