Coronavirus regulations and Governmental travel guidance mean that you must self-isolate for 14 days if you return to the UK from a country outside the common travel area.
The government is satisfied that it is now safe to ease these measures in England and has introduced travel corridor exemptions for some countries and territories.
Exemption rules for travel guidance
From July 10th 2020 you may not have to self-isolate when you arrive in England if you are returning from one of the countries listed below.
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia
- Andorra
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Australia
- Austria
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Bermuda
- Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba
- British Antarctic Territory
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- The British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- the Channel Islands
- Croatia
- Curaçao
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominica
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Polynesia
- Gibraltar
- Germany
- Greece
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- the Isle of Man
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macao (Macau)
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Monaco
- Montserrat
- the Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
- Poland
- Reunion
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- South Korea
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- Spain
- St Barthélemy
- St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Pierre and Miquelon
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turkey
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Vatican City State
- Vietnam
That is because these countries or territories are:
- covered by the travel corridor exemption
- within the common travel area (Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man)
- British overseas territories
You will need to self-isolate if you were in a country that is not on the list in the 14 days before your return to England. This applies to all travel to England, by train, ferry, coach, air or any other route. This travel guide is set to be in effect or the foreseeable future.
Example of when you would need to self-isolate
You are in a country that is not on the list below. You travel to a country that is on the list and you stay there for 4 days from the day after you arrive. You then travel to England.
When you get back to England, you will need to self-isolate for 10 days, not the usual 14 days. That is because you have spent 4 of the 14 days in a country that is on the list.
By following the travel guidance in this blog, you should have a better understanding of Coronavirus regulations. If you would like some more information or have a question for us, please don’t hesitate to leave us a comment or visit our Coronavirus page