London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 24, 2026

Coronavirus: What are the UK travel quarantine rules?

Coronavirus: What are the UK travel quarantine rules?

Travellers entering the UK from France and the Netherlands will face a 14-day quarantine when they arrive from Saturday.

ransport Secretary Grant Shapps said the measure - which also applies to people travelling from Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba - would start at 04:00 BST.

The UK government's decision follows a surge in cases in the countries affected in recent days.

Which other countries are no longer exempt from quarantine?


People arriving in the UK from Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra, were recently told they also have to self-isolate. Spain and Luxembourg have also come off the exemption list.

The full list of countries exempt from quarantine rules has been updated regularly.

You don't need to self-isolate if you travel through a non-exempt country, as long as you don't stop in the country to get out of the car and no one else gets in.

Or if you are on public transport, you are exempt from quarantine if no new passengers get on while in the non-exempt country and no passenger mixes with people outside or enters a public space at a stop.

What are the quarantine rules?


The government has published a list of ''lower risk'' countries that can be visited without the need to self-isolate on returning to England.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can make their own quarantine rules, but they are usually similar.

Travellers from affected countries - including UK nationals - are asked to provide an address where they will self-isolate for 14 days. They can be fined £100 for failing to provide these details.

One in five eligible passengers will be called or texted to check they are following the rules.

People who do not self-isolate can be fined up to £1,000 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and £480 in Scotland. There are fines up to £5,000 for persistent offenders.


Travellers entering the UK from Spain have to self-isolate


Passengers should drive their own car to their destination if possible. If they don't provide an address, the government will arrange accommodation at the traveller's expense.

Once at their destination, they must not use public transport or taxis during the quarantine period. They must also not go to work, school, or public areas, or have visitors except for essential support.

Nor are they allowed to go out to buy food, or other essentials, if they can rely on others.

People returning from overseas will not be automatically eligible for statutory sick pay during this period, unless they meet the required conditions - for example, displaying coronavirus symptoms.

Which countries don't have to quarantine?


Anyone arriving from the Common Travel Area (CTA) - the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man - does not have to enter quarantine, if they have been in the CTA for at least 14 days.

Travellers from more than 50 countries deemed ''low risk'' do not have to quarantine, with a further five countries - Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadines added to the list on 28 July. These are known as ''travel corridors'' although some of these countries will impose restrictions on travellers entering from the UK.

Health measures including quarantine rules are set by each UK nation separately - although Wales has adopted the same exemptions as England. Since 10 July, Scotland's quarantine measures have also been eased, as have Northern Ireland's.



Which workers are exempt from quarantine?


There are a number of people who are exempt, regardless of their country of origin, including:

* Road haulage and freight workers
* Medical and care professionals providing essential healthcare
* Seasonal agricultural workers if they self-isolate where they are working
* UK residents who ordinarily travel overseas at least once a week for work



Do other countries have quarantine rules?


Travellers could find they also have to enter quarantine when they arrive in another country, even if they do not have to quarantine in the UK on their return. Some countries have introduced screening measures like temperature checks, and entry restrictions. For example:

* New Zealand has barred almost all foreign travellers
* Australia requires an exemption visa if you are not a resident or a citizen and everyone entering the country needs to quarantine for 14 days
* South Korea requires all arrivals to be tested and to isolate for 14 days
* Adult visitors to Iceland can either pay for a test or go into quarantine
* Anyone who has been in the UK in the previous 14 days is not currently allowed to enter Japan.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Northern Ireland Executive Ministers Reach Consensus on Shared Economic Development Priorities to Stimulate Regional Growth in Belfast
Department for Business and Trade Finalizes Conditional Support Package for Advanced Semiconductor Fabrication Facilities in Newport
Welsh Government Unveils Regional Industrial Development Strategy to Attract Green Energy Investment to South Wales Manufacturing Hubs
Foreign Secretary David Lammy Concludes Diplomatic Mission to European Capital Cities to Strengthen Post-Brexit Defense Cooperation
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Implements Stricter Regulatory Compliance Standards for Water Utilities Across England
Office for National Statistics Reports Moderate Wage Growth Stabilization and Resilient Employment Figures Across the United Kingdom
Scottish Government and Trade Union Representatives Reach Tentative Pay Agreement for Public Sector Transport Workers in Edinburgh
National Health Service England Announces Emergency Capital Funding Allocation to Reduce Winter Emergency Department Bottlenecks
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Signals Cautious Approach to Interest Rate Reductions Amid Persistent Inflation Pressures
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Treasury Officials Finalize Urgent Fiscal Adjustments Ahead of Upcoming National Budget
Tour de France Organizers Confirm Historic Grand Depart Featuring Edinburgh and Yorkshire Stages
National Cyber Security Centre Issues Urgent Alerts Following Global Security Vulnerability in Core Programming Software
Independent Energy Analysts Warn Great Britain Faces Highest Winter Power Tariffs in Europe
Major British Defense Contractors Commit to Delivering Forty Thousand New Apprenticeships and Training Placements
New Bradford Railway Station Infrastructure Project Approved to Transform Regional Transit Connectivity Across Northern England
Welsh Infrastructure Stakeholders Press Government for Accelerated Local Sourcing in Military and Uniform Manufacturing
Scottish Council Governance Crisis Triggers High-Court Legal Challenge Over Leadership Ouster Bid
High Street Bakery Chain Greggs Announces Major Factory Closures and Seven Hundred Job Cuts
Automotive Manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover Advances Advanced Defense Technology Partnership with European Allies
Treasury and Bank of England Officials Signal Persistent Concern Over Inflation-Driven Interest Rate Path
International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast While Issuing Inflation Warnings
National Health Service Leaders Warn of Severe Capacity Pressures as Early Winter Respiratory Infections Surge
Government Issues Emergency Resilience Guidance Advising All British Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Private Sector Growth Beats Expectations in October Driven by Resilient Services and Manufacturing
Barclays to Cut Five Thousand Jobs in Major Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Cost-Cutting Overhaul
Piper Tomahawk Aircraft Crash Near Drymen in Stirling Claims Two Lives as Investigators Deploy
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Jackdaw Gas Field Production After Ministerial Authorization
Government Injects One Hundred and Forty Million Pounds to Expand Urgent Care Ahead of Winter Crisis
Department of Health Warns Further Pay Rises Will Derail National Health Service Waiting List Targets
Major Environmental Emergency Declared in South Wales Following Aerospace Kerosene Spill
Tank Barrel Production Returns to Britain as Defence Contractors Accelerate Domestic Rearmament
Government Approves Controversial Jackdaw Gasfield Development in the North Sea
National Health Service Maternity Safety Review Condemned Over Flawed Artificial Intelligence Integration
Dozens of United Kingdom Government Services Taken Offline Amid Critical Software Vulnerability
Barclays Announces Five Thousand Job Cuts Citing Artificial Intelligence Productivity Gains
Treasury Relaxes Post-Financial Crisis Accountability Rules for City of London Executives
United Kingdom Government Issues Unprecedented Guidance Urging Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Consumer Inflation Accelerates to Eleven-Month High Driven by Transport Costs
United Kingdom Public Sector Net Debt Breaches Three Trillion Pounds Ahead of Autumn Budget
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Commits Fifty Million Pounds to Establish Regional Artificial Intelligence Innovation Clusters
Ofgem Directs Major Energy Suppliers to Expand Vulnerable Household Support Funds Ahead of Winter Heating Season
Home Office and National Police Chiefs Council Unveil New Intelligence-Led Strategy to Tackle Organised Immigration Crime Networks
First Minister John Swinney Secures Scottish Parliament Approval for Comprehensive Climate and Green Energy Infrastructure Strategy
National Health Service England and Trades Union Congress Finalize Agreement on Emergency Winter Staffing and Pay Frameworks
HM Treasury and Department for Business and Trade Announce Multi-Billion-Pound Sovereign Investment Pact to Spur Regional Advanced Manufacturing
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Signals Potential for Faster Interest Rate Cuts as Domestic Inflation Pressures Ease Below Forecasts
Parliamentary Inquiry Highlights Urgent Need to Address Housing Shortage as Scottish Completions Hit Eleven-Year Low
United Kingdom and Singapore Sign Comprehensive Financial Agreement to Deepen Digital and Sustainable Market Ties
Greggs Announces Plan to Close Four Manufacturing Facilities and Cut Seven Hundred and Forty Jobs
International Monetary Fund Raises United Kingdom Economic Growth Forecast While Warning of Inflationary Pressures
×