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England’s COVID-19 travel restrictions: where can you travel?

Travel as we know it has changed. Between the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, rules on travelling from England and travelling to England have changed significantly. 

I cannot count the number of times I’ve googled ‘England travel restrictions’ ‘can I travel yet’ in the last 15 months lol.

In early 2020, the world was struck by a global pandemic of the Covid-19 virus (I’m pretty sure you’re aware of this much). Everywhere and everything shut down here in England, we went into lockdown and travel became increasingly difficult. Having stayed at home and stayed positive during the lockdowns, travel restrictions eased for summer 2020, but another harsh winter lockdown came and saw travel come to a standstill once more. At the start of 2021, Brexit implementation began too, changing how much time we can spend in the EU as UK citizens.  Check out the latest on post-Brexit travel to the EU here. 

Now though, as we come into October 2021, the COVID roadmap in England is well underway and restrictions are easing (slower than planned, but they are). We are seeing more ‘normality’ in our lives than we have done for over 15 months. Woohoo! England travel restrictions are loosening… albeit slowly.

But the pandemic and its effects are far from over. England travel restrictions and coronavirus travel rules for travelling to the UK are still complicated and are changing constantly.

In this blog post (which I will keep updating for you), I’m going to simplify what’s going on and create a fear-free place for you to get inspired for your next adventure…

If you’re anything like me, the overconsumption of media, screens and news is far from the world I like to live in. There is too much beauty in this world to be lost in such fear. Of course, we need to stay updated to remain responsible, safe and well but it doesn’t need to consume our entire life…

Other blog posts you might be interested in...

Coronavirus travel rules for travelling to England… 

There is no longer a legal restriction or permitted reason required to travel internationally from England. A traffic light system for international travel has been introduced, and you must follow the rules when returning to England depending on whether you return from a red list country or another country, and depending on if you are fully vaccinated or not. However, this still feels confusing, doesn’t it? Where can we travel? Where can we go? What England travel restrictions are in place?

In this post I aim to go through all the England Covid-19 travel restrictions and explain the England Covid-19 red list system, answering questions such as:

Which are the red list countries? Where can I travel to from England? Am I allowed to go to an red list country?

The information in this blog post about travelling to and from different parts of the world has been directly quoted from www.gov.uk, the UK government website, and I aim to keep it completely up to date for you so you have all the England Covid-19 travel rules at the click of a button!
Of course though, if in doubt, head to the main government websites for the most updated and accurate information!

England’s COVID-19 travel rules: where can you travel?

UK travel

Travel within England:

Travel within England is now not restricted. You can travel within the country where you want and stay overnight.

If you’re planning a staycation in England, check out these blog posts: 

If you’re travelling to England from within the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, you do not need to:

  • complete a passenger locator form
  • take any COVID-19 tests
  • quarantine on arrival in England
You must not have been outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man in the 10 days before you arrive in England.
The best things to do in Newquay, Cornwall

Travelling from England to Wales:

The border between Wales and England is open and England travel restrictions allow you to travel from England to Wales. 

Stay up to date with travel in Wales during COVID here.

If you’re planning a trip to Wales, check out…

The best things to do in Swansea | Planning your trip to Wales | Where's Mollie? A travel and adventure lifestyle blog

Travelling from England to Scotland:

The border between Scotland and England is open and you can travel from in England to Scotland. It is strongly recommended, but not compulsory, that you take a lateral flow test before travelling to the Scottish Islands.

Stay up to date with travel in Scotland during COVID here.

If you’re planning a trip to Scotland, check out…

Travelling from England to Northern Ireland

If you’re travelling from within the Common Travel Area (United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands) and staying overnight in Northern Ireland, you should take a rapid lateral flow device test (LFD) before you begin your journey.

You should only travel if the test is negative. You should also take an LFD test on days two and eight of your stay.

You do not need to fill in a Passenger Locator Form if you’re travelling from within the CTA and you have not been outside the CTA in the last 10 days. Find out more about travelling from England to Northern Ireland here. 

If you’re planning a trip to Northern Ireland, check out the best places to visit in Northern Ireland in this blog post. 

Travel to the Common Travel Area

Travelling from England to Ireland:

If you are travelling from England to Ireland, you must fill out a passenger locator form before you arrive. 

Passengers who are fully vaccinated or have a valid proof of recovery from Covid-19 in the past 180 days are not required to take any travel tests or to quarantine. 

If you do not have valid proof of vaccination or recovery, you will need to 

  • present proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of your arrival in Ireland
  • self-quarantine for 14 days

Find out more about the coronavirus travel rules for travelling from England to Ireland here. 

European travel & worldwide travel from England

The coronavirus traffic light system was introduced on 17 May, with reviews taking place every three weeks. This has now been simplifed to a single red list. Countries outside the British Isles are on the red list if the Covid-19 situation in that country is deemed serious.

What you must do when you arrive in England from abroad depends on where you have been in the 10 days before you arrive. It also depends on whether you are fully vaccinated or not.

This blog post, with information taken from the government website, lists countries and territories as red or not, and tells you what you must do if you have been in those countries or territories.

If conditions change in a country or territory, it can be moved to or removed from the red list. If there is a sudden change in conditions, a country or territory may be moved to the red list without warning. Remember to check the government website of both the country you are travelling to and the country you are returning to for the most up-to-date travel guidance.

Travel to and from Red List countries

These are the Covid-19 travel rules and restrictions if you have been in a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days before you arrive in England.

The UK Government guidance is that you should not travel to red list countries or territories.

If you have been in a country or territory on the red list in the last 10 days you will only be allowed to enter the UK if you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK.

You must follow these rules even if you have been vaccinated.

Before travelling to England from a Red List country:

Before you travel to England from a Red List country you must:

On arrival in England from a Red List country:

On arrival in England from a Red List country you must quarantine in a managed hotel, including 2 COVID-19 tests. You must stay in the hotel for 10 full days (the day you arrive in England is day 0). The rate for one adult for one room for 11 days/10 nights is £2,285. Find out more about the quarantine hotels here. 

Countries on the Red List:

(updated October 2021)

  • Colombia  
  • Dominican Republic  
  • Ecuador  
  • Haiti  
  • Panama  
  • Peru  
  • Venezuela

Travelling to England from countries that are not on the red list...

These are the Covid-19 travel rules and restrictions if you travel to England from a country or territory not on the red list. You cannot have visited or transitted through a red list country in the previous 10 days.

The rules differ depending on if you are fully vaccinated or not.

Travelling to England if you are fully vaccinated…

Fully vaccinated means that you have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England. You will need proof that you have been fully vaccinated. There are exemptions for under 18s, participants in clinical trials, and people who cannot be vaccinated for approved medical reasons.

Before you travel to England you must:

  • book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test – to be taken after arrival in England. If you will be in England for less than 2 days you still need to book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test.
  • complete a passenger locator form

See my tips and discount codes for COVID tests upon arrival at the bottom of this post.

On arrival in England:

  • You must take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 after you arrive.
  • You do not need to quarantine unless the test result is positive.
  • You must quarantine if NHS Test & Trace informs you that you travelled to England with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

If you have also been in or through a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days before you arrive in England, you must follow the red list rules.

Travelling to England if you are not fully vaccinated…

Before you travel to England you must:

    • take a COVID-19 test
    • book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 travel tests – to be taken after arrival in England
    • complete a passenger locator form

See my tips and discount codes for COVID tests upon arrival at the bottom of this post. 

On arrival in England you must:

  • quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 days
  • take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8
  • Children aged 4 and under do not need to take the day 2 or day 8 test.
  • Children who are UK residents only need to take the day 2 test
  • You may be able to end quarantine early if you pay for a private COVID-19 test through the Test to Release scheme.

See my tips and discount codes for COVID tests upon arrival at the bottom of this post. 

If you have also been in or through a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days before you arrive in England, you must follow the red list rules.

Covid-19 tests to travel to England and DISCOUNT CODES

If you need a Covid-19 test to travel to England and you are looking for some testing top tips, here are mine based on my experience of travelling back from Costa Rica when it was on the Amber List (it is now not on a list). 

For the Day 2 and Day 8 tests (upon your return to England) lots of airlines are teaming up with testing companies and so there are coupons all over the internet to use to save money on these expensive tests. Phew!

I used Testing for all for my Day 2 and Day 8 tests (this package) which was one of the cheapest at the time.

I used Randox for my TTR (test to release), with the discount code below. 

Note: these codes were

  • Randox discount code: for the pre-departure PCR test and Day 5 Test to Release use BritishAirways50 at the checkout. (This reduces the cost of each test from £48 to £43). 

  • Randox discount code: for the Day 2 and Day 8 test pack use BritishAirwaysD2D8 at the checkout. (This reduces the cost of the pack from £96 to £86). 

NOTE: I had no issues with Testing for all. Could drop to my local post office. Randox arrived a day late and you have to return the test to one of their designated drop off’s. Check out the locations here – could be an inconvenience!

NOTE: From 22 October, fully vaccinated passengers will be able to book an antigen lateral flow device (LFD) test instead of a PCR for your ‘on arrival’ test. Prices should start from £20.

These are not affiliate links or ads, just one traveller helping out another!

Where are you hoping to travel after Covid-19?

Where do you want to travel from England? I’d love to know!

Love as always and happy adventuring,

Mollie.

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England’s COVID-19 travel restrictions: where can you travel?England’s COVID-19 travel restrictions: where can you travel?
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IT’S LOVELY TO MEET YOU

I’M MOLLIE AND I STARTED THIS BLOG BACK IN 2013 WHEN I HEADED OUT ON MY FIRST BACKPACKING ADVENTURE. 

I’D LOVE TO SHARE THE JOURNEY WITH YOU, WE’VE GROWN A LOT SINCE THEN!

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