Full list of updated green, amber and red countries - and travel rules explained

The government has announced a series of changes to travel rules that will come into effect at 4am on Sunday morning.

France will be moved off the ‘amber plus’ list meaning that fully-vaccinated holidaymakers travelling to the country from England will no longer have to quarantine.

Meanwhile, it will be easier for people to travel to India, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates which have all been moved from the red list to amber.

Here we take a look at the changes in full.

Which countries are on the green list?

Seven countries will be added to England’s green travel list from 4am on Sunday, the Government announced on Wednesday.

They are Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway.

Anyone returning from those countries will no longer need to quarantine on arrival.

There are currently 24 countries on the green list, including the popular holiday destinations of Barbados, Croatia and Malta – unfortunately 16 of these are on the “green watch list” meaning they could suddenly be moved to amber.

Australia and New Zealand are both unambiguously green – unfortunately neither are welcoming British travellers at the moment.

Which countries are on the amber list?

France will lose its confusing “amber plus” status which has meant all travellers, and not just those who are not fully vaccinated, have had to self-isolate for 10 days upon return.

Our nearest neighbour has been in a category all by itself because of concerning levels of the beta variant of Covid-19 there.

Elsewhere, it will get slightly easier to visit India, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as they will be moved from the red to the amber list, meaning arrivals will no longer have to spend 11 nights in a quarantine hotel.

Which countries are on the red list?

Mexico, Georgia and the French overseas territories of La Reunion and Mayotte are joining the red list.

If you have a holiday to one of those destinations already booked and want to press ahead, bear in mind the cost for solo travellers in a quarantine hotel in England will be ramped up from £1,750 to £2,285 from August 12.

The charge for an additional adult sharing a room will more than double from £650 to £1,430 to “better reflect the increased costs involved”, the Government said.

Can I still go on my holiday to Spain, France or Italy?

There were fears in the travel industry that Spain – the most popular overseas destination for UK holidaymakers – could be added to England’s red list.

The Government announced it would keep its amber status, but urged travellers arriving in the UK from Spain to take a PCR test for the mandatory pre-departure test “as a precaution against the increased prevalence of the virus and variants in the country”.

Many travellers have been relying on the cheaper lateral flow test kits which are less reliable than PCRs.

Both Italy and France will be on the amber list - with the latter moving to that list on Sunday - which means that fully-vaccinated travellers to those destinations will not need to quarantine.