London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Which countries are on the green list for foreign holidays?

Which countries are on the green list for foreign holidays?

From 17 May, people in England will be allowed to take holidays abroad in a small number of countries.

Portugal and Israel are among the permitted destinations on the government's green list, which tourists will be able to visit without having to quarantine on their return.

What's been announced?


Countries are in three categories - green, amber and red. Green countries have the fewest rules.

Their status depends partly on the number of Covid-19 cases in each country and the success of their vaccine rollout.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not yet announced plans to restart foreign holidays.


Which countries are holidaymakers allowed to visit?


The government advises that not all the green list destinations are currently open to UK tourists and it is travellers' responsibility to check.

For example, travel to mainland Portugal and the Azores is currently for essential purposes only. This could change, as in March the Portuguese government said it hoped to welcome UK tourists in May.

The 12 countries and territories on the green list are:

*  Portugal
*  Israel
*  Singapore
*  Australia
*  New Zealand
*  Brunei
*  Iceland
*  Gibraltar
*  Falkland Islands
*  Faroe Islands
*  South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands
*  St Helena, Tristan de Cunha and Ascension Island

The list will be reviewed every three weeks. Countries can be added or removed at short notice.

What are the rules for visiting a green country?


Travellers will need to:

*  Take a private Covid test in their holiday destination before returning home - this can be a lateral flow or PCR test
*  Fill in a passenger locator form online before leaving their destination
*  Take a private PCR test on or before day two of their arrival in England

There will be no need to quarantine when back home, or take additional tests, unless the post-arrival test is positive.

The cost of private PCR tests vary between suppliers, but the transport secretary said he hoped prices could come down to less than £50 per person. Tui Group is offering test packages for between £20 and £90.


People should not be travelling to amber countries for leisure.

Travellers must:

*  Take a private Covid test before returning to England
*  Fill in a passenger locator form online before heading home
*  Self-isolate at home for 10 days
*  Take a private PCR test on or before day two of their arrival in England and again on day eight

They could end self-isolation early by taking an optional PCR test on day five, under the existing test to release scheme.


You should not be travelling to red countries for leisure.

Forty-three countries are now on the red list, including Turkey, India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Maldives, Brazil and South Africa.

People can only enter the UK if they are a UK or Irish national (or UK resident).

Travellers must:

*  Take a private Covid test before returning to England
*  Fill in a passenger locator form online before they head home
*  Book a 10-day hotel quarantine and testing package for each member of their group before departure
*  Take a private PCR test on or before day two of their arrival in England and again on day eight

Countries can be added to the red list at short notice. If a country's status changes while you are visiting, you would have to follow the stricter rules on your return.


What have other countries said about holidays?


*  The European Commission has recommended allowing travel for anyone who has received the last dose of an EU-approved vaccine at least two weeks beforehand. Vaccines used in the UK would qualify
*  Greece's tourism minister tweeted that tourism will reopen on 14 May, but with five security levels
*  Portugal and Cyprus hope to welcome UK tourists from mid May
*  Spain hopes to open up from June
*  France says tourists with a French Covid-19 "health pass" (TousAntiCovid) will be allowed from 9 June

How can travellers prove they've been vaccinated?


From 17 May, the main NHS app will include a feature allowing users to demonstrate they have had two vaccine doses.

It's hoped the app can be used as proof of vaccination when people holiday abroad. A letter can also be requested.

The app is not the same as the NHS Covid-19 one - currently used for contact tracing.

What about UK holidays?

Holidaying in England, Scotland and Wales is now possible, but there are still rules to follow.

What are the current international arrival rules?


At the moment, people in England face a £5,000 fine for having a holiday abroad and must fill in a travel declaration form with a valid reason for their journey.

Before travelling:

You must take a Covid-19 test (in the three days before your departure).

You must book and pay for two PCR tests for your UK quarantine, unless you are exempt and complete a passenger locator form.

Upon arrival:

You must travel directly to your home/place you're staying and not leave for 10 days.

Only use public transport if you have no other option.

Day one of quarantine is your first full 24-hour day in the UK. Rule-breaking fines are £10,000.

Common Travel Area arrivals (Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man) do not have to arrange tests, fill out the locator form or quarantine.

There is separate advice for quarantining in:

Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland

When would I need to quarantine in a hotel?


Anyone allowed to enter England from a red list country (or who has passed through one in the previous 10 days) must quarantine for 10 full days in a managed facility, rather than a private address.

You will need to agree to book and pay for a quarantine package in advance.

*  10-day (11-night) rate for one adult in one room is £1,750
*  Additional rate for one adult (or child over 11) is £650
*  Children aged five to 11 are charged £325

You can be fined £10,000 or jailed for not providing accurate details of countries you visited.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
×