Country Specific Risk of Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Update 42)
10 Jan 2022
International travel continues to be impacted by COVID-19. In response to the emergence of the Omicron variant, many countries are changing their travel rules at short notice.
All travellers arriving in the UK need to follow specific rules regarding COVID-19 testing and quarantine. The rules you need to follow depend on whether you are:
- arriving from a country which is on the UK red list, or not currently on the red list
- fully vaccinated or not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 using a UK government approved vaccine
The list of countries on the UK red list is kept under constant review and countries and territories may be added or removed at short notice.
- There are currently no countries on the UK red list.
Even if a country is not on the UK red list, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) may still advise against travel to that country due to the increased risk of COVID-19 at that destination:
- always review the latest FCDO foreign travel advice for each of the countries you intend to travel or transit through, checking the 'Entry Requirements' section to find out if the country are currently allowing UK travellers to enter
Country Specific COVID-19 Risk
All fitfortravel country pages include a COVID-19 country specific risk-rating which identifies the country as having either a 'high risk' or a 'risk' of exposure to COVID-19 for UK travellers.
- The risk-rating can be found in the 'Alerts' section on each country page and each risk-rating is accompanied by appropriate travel advice.
You should avoid non-essential travel to 'high risk' countries, even if you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 due to the increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and/or emerging or known variants of coronavirus (COVID-19) in this country.
As of 07 January 2022, the following countries continue to have a FCDO advisory warning against travel and have therefore been classified as having a 'high risk' of exposure to COVID-19:
- Afghanistan
- Burundi
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
- East Timor (Timor Leste)
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- Nicaragua
- Papua New Guinea
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela
- Yemen
You should be aware that the COVID-19 risk rating for all countries is being kept under constant review and a country risk can change at short notice. Before booking travel, you should consider all of the following:
- if the country you plan to visit is on the UK red list
- carefully review the FCDO guidance on entry requirements, restrictions, screening and quarantine requirements for the country you are visiting
- travel regulations may change at short notice
- check the risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) at your destination: this is detailed in the ‘Alerts section’ of each country page
- consider your risk of developing severe COVID-19
- make sure you have valid travel insurance
- check the availability of medical facilities at your destination should you become unwell
- check if you need to arrange COVID-19 testing at your destination prior to your return to the UK if required to do so
- review the UK Border Force rules for entering the UK during return travel
Detailed advice on the above points including advice on reducing your risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) during travel is available on the COVID-19: Health Considerations for Travel page.
Prevention in Travellers
Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are not available solely for the purposes of travel, however you are encouraged to participate in the UK COVID-19 vaccination programme if you are eligible.
After you return home from travelling abroad, always seek medical advice if you develop a high temperature, telling them about your recent travel history.