London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 26, 2025

Covid-19: Quarantine-free travel from France resumes as UK rules change

Covid-19: Quarantine-free travel from France resumes as UK rules change

Fully vaccinated people can now visit France without quarantining on their return to the UK, after travel rule changes came into force at 04:00 BST.

Brittany Ferries said it had received a "surge" of bookings following the rule changes announced on Thursday.

But travel agents said the relaxation of quarantine for one of the UK's most popular destinations came "too late to save the summer".

Meanwhile, travellers in Mexico had to rush back to avoid hotel quarantine.

Under the latest changes to the UK's traffic light system for travel, the rules have been relaxed for a dozen countries.

France moved from its own amber-plus category on to the amber list, which means children and fully vaccinated passengers do not have to quarantine on their return, although unvaccinated travellers still have to self-isolate at home for 10 days.

It comes as the UK recorded 27,429 new Covid cases on Sunday, as well as 39 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

Sunday's data means that after a consistent fall since mid-July, the weekly total of cases has shown a slight increase over the previous seven days, of 1.9%.

Among those to benefit from the rule changes is Emma Wood, who lives in Laon, France. Her parents, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, are planning to visit France next week to meet Emma's six-month-old daughter for the first time.

"We're so pleased but we daren't get our hopes up until they're here," she said. "They were going to come before but then they introduced the new amber-plus list."

She said she usually saw her parents five or six times a year but had not seen them in more than 12 months.

"My mum has been desperate to see her granddaughter," she added.

Emma Wood can't wait for her parents to meet their new granddaughter

Londoner Kyle Frank has also booked a trip after the change was announced. He plans to drive to Nice because he feels it is safer than taking a plane - and so he can bring his puppy, Indy, with him.

"It would have been great to book it before but everything has been changing so rapidly it's hard to understand when it will be safe to travel. So I'm trying to go now while I can," he told the BBC.

"There's no quarantine when I get back to London so I can get straight back to work."

Kyle Frank says he plans to drive to France, so he can travel with his puppy, Indy


At a glance: The latest changes


Moved from amber to green: Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway

Moved from amber-plus to amber: France

Moved from red to amber: India, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE

Moved from amber to red: Georgia, Mexico, La Reunion and Mayotte

Christophe Mathieu, chief executive of Brittany Ferries, said the company had seen bookings surge after it was announced travel rules for France were being relaxed.

But the company still only expects to carry a quarter of its usual number of passengers.

"Let's be realistic, we would need tens of thousands of people booking to make up for the poor season," Mr Mathieu said.

"It's more than welcome this announcement, it's good news, but it comes in a year when at the end of the day for us everything is about 2022 and making that a real, normal year."

The UK government sets the red, amber and green lists for England, while the other nations are in charge of their own lists. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland confirmed they will be adopting the same changes as England - although Wales criticised the UK government for not consulting them.

There are now 36 countries on the green list - from which even unvaccinated travellers do not have to quarantine - following the addition of seven more nations, including Germany, Austria and Norway.

And India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been moved from the red list to the amber list.

Countries have their own rules about allowing visitors - so being on the UK's green list does not guarantee travellers can visit.

'Too late to save summer'


But one travel agent said the latest changes had only made a small difference and testing requirements were still putting many Britons off booking foreign trips.

"It's far too late to save the summer," said Julia Lo Bue-Said, from the Advantage Travel Partnership.

She said a lot of people had already made their holiday plans and the increase in bookings had been "marginal".

"When you think that most businesses are 80% down, you need a huge volume to make up the shortfall they're experiencing," she said.

Four destinations are also subject to tighter restrictions. Mexico, Georgia, and the French overseas territories of La Reunion and Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, have been added the red list.

Only British citizens, Irish citizens, and UK residents can travel from red list countries and they must stay for 10 days in hotel quarantine at a cost of £1,750 for one adult - which increases to £2,285 from 12 August.

Lotis Bautista, one of thousands of Britons on holiday in Mexico when the announcement was made, paid hundreds of pounds to cut short her trip by a week and rush back home before Sunday's deadline.

She said she and her husband could not have afforded the costs of hotel quarantine.

"I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't incredibly upset when it happened. Even though you know there are risks, you hope there might be a more responsible way of doing things from the government," Ms Bautista said.

"We're eighteen months into he pandemic and we're still being being given two, three days' notice."


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
×