Country Specific Risk of Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Update 43)
01 Feb 2022
COVID-19 continues to impact international travel. Most countries continue to have border restrictions and entry requirements in place for international travellers in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 variants:
- review the 'Entry Requirements' section of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) foreign travel advice country pages to find out if a country has restrictions in place, or are allowing entry for UK travellers.
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 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 FCDO may still advise against travel to that country due to the increased risk of COVID-19.
The rules for international travellers arriving in the UK are changing from 4am on 11 February 2022.
- A summary of these changes are available for those arriving into Scotland, England, Northern Ireland or Wales.
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.
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
Prevention in Travellers
Detailed advice on the points to consider when planning travel including advice on reducing your risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) is available on the COVID-19: Health Considerations for Travel page.
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.
After you return home from travelling abroad, always seek medical advice if you develop a high temperature (fever), telling them about your recent travel history.