The UK government has confirmed that starting 04:00 (BST / GMT +1) of October 11, 2021, 47 countries and territories will be removed from its red list.
The announcement, made on October 7, 2021, will make it easier and simpler for people from the UK to travel to a larger number of destinations. Passengers returning to England from these destinations will no longer be required to enter hotel quarantine. The current red list of countries and territories can be read here.
With the further easing of travel restrictions, only Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Haiti and the Dominican Republic will remain on the red list after October 11, 2021.
This means that from October 11, 2021, travelers arriving from all other countries and territories not on the red list can enter the UK provided they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to their flight departure, and provide a negative result from a day 2 PCR test.
Travelers who are not fully vaccinated yet coming from a non-red destination, have to take the following COVID-19 tests: a pre-departure test, a day 2 and day 8 test, and complete 10 days of self-isolation, with the option of ‘Test to release’ on day 5.
Vaccine brands currently accepted in the UK are: Oxford / AstraZeneca, PfizerBioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen.
The government also announced that starting October 4, 2021, it will recognise vaccines from more countries. That means eligible travellers vaccinated in over 37 new countries and territories including Brazil, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Turkey, will also be treated the same as returning fully vaccinated UK residents, so long as they have not visited a red list country or territory in the 10 days before arriving in England.
“Restoring people’s confidence in travel is key to rebuilding our economy and levelling up this country. With less restrictions and more people traveling, we can all continue to move safely forward together along our pathway to recovery,” said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps in the announcement.
The official announcement, along with complete restriction guidelines and details, can be read here.