UAE, Oman and Qatar on the England’s...

Only 12 countries made it onto England’s travel green list following the 7 May announcement from the UK

The GCC’s UAE, Qatar and Oman were placed on the red list, crushing travel plans for thousands in the Visiting Friends and Family (VFR) market, where pent-up demand is teeming.

The 12 countries on the green list are:

Australia
Brunei
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Gibraltar
Iceland
Israel
New Zealand
Portugal
Singapore
South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands
St Helena, Tristan de Cunha and Ascension Island

The list will be reviewed in three weeks.

Countries have been placed on a green, amber or red list depending on their current Covid-19 numbers, their vaccination-per-population percentage and, in the case of the UAE, their airport transit numbers.

Green list arrivals to England need only take one PCR test within two days of landing back in the UK, while amber list arrivals must spend 10 days quarantining at home and take two PCR tests two and eight days after entering the UK. Individuals must pay for their own PCR tests.

If travelling from a red list country like the UAE, Oman and Qatar, individuals must:

Present a negative PCR test, taken before entering the UK
Pre-book a mandatory 10-day quarantine at hotel, costing £1,750
Pay for and take two PCR tests, taken on day two and day eight of your quarantine

UK transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “Red countries are those which should not be visited except in the most extreme of circumstances, where repeated testing and isolation in designated Government hotels on return is compulsory.”

This means those wishing to travel to England from red list countries will now be faced with the alternative to go via green list countries open to their destination of origin. Two-centre stays are being curated by local travel agents, whose role in navigating holiday planning is now more critical than ever.

The red list in full: