Green, Amber Travel Lists: What are the current rules?

Please note that the current traffic light regime for international travel will change on 4 October 2021.

Fully NHS-vaccinated UK residents returning from countries on the government’s amber list are now treated in the same way as those returning from countries on the green list (see below for details).

Children under 18 returning from amber list countries will also be treated as if they are returning from a green list country, with those aged 4 and under exempt from isolation and testing requirements.

France has returned to the amber list (from 4am on Sunday 8 August) from its previous amber plus status. This means there will no longer be a requirement for double-jabbed travellers to self-isolate for 10 days on their return to England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The Welsh government is considering its position and is still advising against all but essential international travel.

At present, people returning to the UK from countries and territories on the ‘green list’ below do not have to quarantine, but still have to follow rules around testing.

The government says it is working towards recognising vaccinations given in other countries. This would enable overseas visitors to come to the UK more freely. It has announced that fully-vaccinated travellers from the USA, the EU (including France from 4am on Sunday 8 August) and certain other European countries arriving in England will not need to go into quarantine but will still need to take a Covid test before and after they arrive. See here for details.

Green/amber list rules

Travellers returning to the UK from green and amber list countries and territories are not required to quarantine, as long as they can provide evidence of a negative result taken within three days of their departure. Travellers returning to the UK must also:

• complete a passenger locator form
• book and pay for a Covid-19 PCR test to take on or before day two after arrival. This must be booked privately through a government-approved provider and, if the result is positive, it will be necessary to quarantine for 10 days. Children aged 4 and under do not need to take this test.

Travellers will also need to self-isolate if NHS Test & Trace informs you that you’ve travelled with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.

Which countries/territories are on the green list?

The traffic light system is a changing framework that gets reviewed every three weeks by the UK government. The following countries are on the green list (correct as of 14 July).

Which countries are on the amber list?

The amber list countries are below. The government has said that it will not hesitate to move amber list countries onto the red list if necessary.

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.

From 19 July, UK residents who have been fully vaccinated in the UK who return to England from an amber list country will have to follow the same procedures in place for those returning from green list countries.

What about red list countries?

If the country or territory from which you return is on the red list, you’ll have to complete a passenger locator form, take a pre-departure Covid-19 test and quarantine in a managed hotel for 10 days at a rate of at least £1,750 for one adult. The cost of staying in a quarantine hotel change on 12 August, as detailed below.

This cost package includes two Covid-19 tests on or before day two and on or after day eight.

All UK entry points for arrivals from red-list countries are in England and Scotland, which means Welsh residents returning from those countries will need to quarantine outside Wales.

How much you’ll need to pay

Is it safe to book a holiday to a green or amber list destination?

The destinations on the green list (and on the amber list from 19 July for fully UK-vaccinated UK residents returning to England) are the countries and territories that our government sees as being safe enough to visit without the need to quarantine on return. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can travel there.

Some places on the list – such as Australia – won’t currently allow entry to British nationals, while others may have testing, vaccination or quarantine requirements for Brits on arrival.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) also has advice on where it deems as safe to travel to and, as was shown with the travel corridors list last year, this may not always entirely match the green or amber lists.

This is important as, if the FCDO is advising against travel to a destination, your travel insurance is likely to be invalid unless you have taken out a specialist policy.

So, before booking (and in the run-up to a trip):

• check that the destination you are considering travelling to is on the green (or amber, from 19 July) list
• find out the FCDO’s current advice
• find out the country’s entry requirements.

How to protect your money when booking

Travel companies announced spikes in booking figures since the green list was announced and there has reportedly been a surge in amber list countries since details of the latest relaxation were given.

However, don’t feel pressured to panic-book as, with a number of uncertainties still remaining around international travel, it’s important that you protect your money.

One of the best ways to do this in case the situation changes is to book a package holiday as, if a destination is moved to the red list or the FCDO warns against travel, these are likely to be cancelled by the operator, increasing the likelihood of your being refunded.

If your package holiday is ATOL-bonded, your money will also be protected should the company you book with go out of business.

The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) has written to companies in the package travel sector setting out what businesses should provide and what customers can expect, including:

• holidays cancelled by package holiday companies must be refunded within 14 days under the Package Travel Regulations (PTRs)
• any offer of a refund credit note must be accompanied by the option of a full refund. Customers should be able to exchange their credit note for a refund at any time
• people have a right to a full refund where they decide to cancel their package because unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances at the destination significantly affect the holiday they have booked or their travel there
• if the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) is advising against travel to the package holiday destination when the consumer is due to leave, that is, in the CMA’s view, strong evidence that these unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances are likely to apply. If the consumer is refused a full refund, the package holiday company should fully explain why it disagrees that the holiday or travel is significantly affected.

Before booking, find out your travel company’s policy should a country move to the amber or red list.

To help, here are some of the current policies from holiday companies:

easyJet holidays

easyjet holidays has a Protection Promise which allows flexibility to customers. All holidays can be changed, fee-free, or cancelled up to 28 days before travel. If you cancel, your deposit will be returned to you as easyJet holidays credit and further payments will be refunded to your original method of payment. 

For departures up to and including 30 September 2021, if your holiday destination is on the amber list within 28 days of your departure date, you can make fee-free changes to your booking or cancel it in exchange for easyJet holidays credit up to 24 hours before travel. 

If your destination is on the red list within 28 days of departure, you will be offered the option of fee-free changes or to cancel for easyJet holidays credit. If you’d rather see what happens and it doesn’t come off the red list, your holiday will be cancelled no later than seven days before you are due to travel and you will be refunded in full to your original method of payment. 

Find out more, plus the details around other Covid-19-related scenarios here.  

TUI

TUI has a Holiday Promise in place including Covid testing packages, free changes for selected bookings, Covid cover with certain bookings and a guarantee to refund you for a cancelled package holiday within 14 days.

Regarding flexibility, TUI has a free changes policy. As part of this, if you are due to travel on or before 31 October, you can change your holiday free of charge to a different destination or date up to 14 days before you’re due to travel.

You’ll also be able to change your booking to another date fee-free in a number of other scenarios including if your green destination is reclassified as green watchlist or amber (this applies right up to the day before your holiday begins), and if the area you live into goes into local lockdown when you’re due to travel.

TUI says it won’t be operating to countries on the red list so if your destination is moved to this before departure, your holiday will be cancelled and you can request a refund or change your booking to another date.

Find out more here. 

British Airways Holidays

For bookings made from 3 March, 2020 onwards for travel due to be completed by 30 April, 2022, you can cancel a holiday booking with BA and receive a voucher to the value of your booking (valid for travel until 30 April 2023), or change your booking without a fee. You will have to pay any difference in fare, though.

Both cancellation in exchange for a voucher and date changes must be made at least three weeks before your date of departure. However, BA adds: “Less than three weeks’ notice will be accepted if new UK government rules are introduced within this time that prevent your trip or require you to quarantine in a designated hotel on your return.”

This would apply if your destination was placed on the red list.

Find out more here.

Jet2holidays

Jet2holidays says that it will process a full refund within 14 days if your holiday is cancelled by it due to Covid-19 or cancelled as UK government advice changes and it becomes illegal for you to go on holiday abroad. 

You can amend a holiday fee-free or cancel for a refund within 14 days if the FCDO advises against all but essential travel to your destination in the seven days before your departure or, in the seven days before your departure, the government for the destination you are travelling to enforces quarantine on arrival and there’s no option for you to release yourself from it through testing or full vaccination.  

You can see other reasons you can amend or cancel here.

Regarding the traffic light system, if your destination is on the amber list and you’re due to depart on or before 18 July your booking will be cancelled and you’ll receive a refund within 14 days. If you’re due to depart between 19-21 July, you can amend your booking fee-free (paying any difference in fares).  

Keep an eye out for updates on its traffic light policy here.

What about non-package holidays?

If you can’t book a package holiday and instead book elements separately, flexible booking policies will be crucial.

Unlike package holidays (which will probably be cancelled if a destination is moved to the red list), flights may keep running and hotels may stay open, so you won’t automatically be entitled to a refund.

Travel companies are aware of this uncertainly, though, so have introduced a number of flexible policies. Some from big travel companies include:

easyJet

easyJet has made its Protection Promise even more flexible for travel over summer – up to and including 30 September 2021. 

It will allow you to transfer flights for free any time up to two hours before your departure to any flights currently on sale to any destination in its network. If the new fare is higher, you’ll need to pay the difference. 

If your flight is impacted by a lockdown travel ban or mandatory hotel quarantine over summer, you can transfer your flight for free to a later date any time up to two hours before departure, opt for a voucher or refund, even if your flight is still operating. 

If easyJet cancels your flight you can request a cash refund or voucher. 

Find out more here. 

Ryanair

Ryanair has dropped its flight change fees for all new bookings made before 30 September, for travel before 31 December. This also applies to bookings made after 10 June 2020. 

You must make the change at least seven days before the original scheduled departure date and will need to pay the difference in fare if the new flights cost more. 

Up to two flight date changes are allowed to either the outbound, return or both dates or routes in the original booking. After the two free changes, you’ll have to pay the normal flight change fee. 

Find out more here. 

TUI

TUI’s free changes policy, as outlined above, applies to accommodation-only and flight-only bookings too.

British Airways flights

For bookings made from 3 March, 2020 onwards for travel due to be completed by 30 April, 2022, you can cancel a flight with BA and receive a voucher to the value of your booking (valid for travel until 30 April 2023), or change your booking without a fee. You will have to pay any difference in fare, though.

You must change your booking or cancel and request a voucher before check-in closes.

Find out more here.

Airbnb

With Airbnb, unless you are ill, your cancellation policy depends on your host.

Airbnb says: “Guests who book a new reservation after March 14 won’t be refunded under the extenuating circumstances policy if they cancel due to COVID-19 unless they are sick. So, please make sure the host’s cancellation policy provides enough flexibility.”

Find out more here.

Is there anything else to consider?

When booking travel at the moment, remember to:

• Factor in the price of tests – as well as being required to take Covid-19 tests before and after your return to England, some countries will expect you to provide proof of a negative test on arrival there too. So, check the requirements and plan the timings and cost of your tests. You need to pay for private tests and can’t use free NHS tests, although some travel companies, such as TUI, may offer test packages.

• Think about your vaccination status – if you’re fully vaccinated, you may be able to avoid testing or quarantine in certain countries, or your vaccination status may be required for entry, so, again, check entry requirements carefully. If you’ve had both vaccine doses, the government says you will be able to show your vaccination status through the NHS app from 17 May (this is different to the NHS Covid-19 tracing app). If you don’t have a smartphone, you can call the NHS helpline on 119 from 17 May and ask for a letter to be posted to you.

• Take out travel insurance as soon as you book – when comparing policies, look carefully at what level of cover they provide for Covid-19 issues as well as standard levels of cover. We have rated travel insurance policies here. Also check the latest FCDO advice for your destination as, unless you have a specialist policy, your insurance will be void if you travel against the advice of the FCDO.

• Expect longer waits at the border on your return – the government has warned travellers to “expect travel to be different this summer – with longer checks at the borders, as part of tough measures to prevent new strains of the virus entering the country and putting our fantastic vaccine rollout at risk.”