Entry Rules & Restrictions Explained from travelling EU to UK

European nationals are now permitted to travel to the United Kingdom after the latter announced it would put an end to its color-coded system, which has prohibited and discouraged travellers from several European member states to visit the country.

The European countries welcomed the news, hoping the move will also have a positive impact on the tourism industry in Europe, which has been significantly affected by the pandemic. Moreover, the tight entry restrictions and the weekly updates on travel rules to specific destinations left millions of Britons confused on whether they should plan to spend their summer vacations in the EU or not.

Throughout most of the summer, arrivals from the EU have been obliged to undergo quarantine and testing requirements returning from the amber list countries, in which the majority of European countries were added.

Entry Requirements for Green List European Countries

Travellers from Europe who received the final vaccination injection at least 14 days before travelling to the UK can enter the country without self-isolating upon arrival. However, they must book, pay and take a COVID-19 test within 48 hours after reaching the country and provide the completed passenger locator form, required to be presented within the same time frame as the COVID test.

The entry requirements apply only to vaccinated travellers coming from the green list countries, as the following list indicates:

· Austria

· Bulgaria

· Denmark

· Finland

· Germany

· Iceland

· Latvia

· Lichtenstein

· Lithuania

· Madeira and Azores, Portugal

· Malta

· Norway

· Romania

· Slovakia

· Slovenia

· Switzerland

Entry Restrictions of Amber List Countries

Vaccinated and unvaccinated European travellers reaching the UK from amber list countries have to take a pre-departure test three days before travelling to the UK and provide the passenger locator form within the first two days of arrival. Moreover, they must book, pay and take another test on day two and day eight upon arrival.

Vaccinated travellers have to perform a COVID test on or before day two of arrival, whereas those that haven’t been vaccinated have to quarantine for ten days and take two COVID tests; one on day two and the other one on day eight of quarantine.

The quarantine can be ended early if the traveller decides to undergo a private COVID-19, at their own expenses, through the Test to Release scheme.

European countries on the UK’s amber list include the following:

· Belgium

· Cyprus

· Czechia

· Estonia

· France

· Greece

· Hungary

· Italy

· Luxembourg

· Netherlands

· Poland

· Portugal

· Spain

· Sweden

Entry Rules & Restrictions Explained from travelling EU to UK