COVID-19: The Latest on England’s Travel Corridors for October 2020

By Amar Ali, Immigration Solicitor

February 06, 2021

In recent months, we have provided a number of updates on the air travel corridors between the UK and other countries around the world. These air corridors were implemented to allow travel to and from countries with lower levels of COVID-19 cases. Each week countries were added or removed, causing widespread consternation to many travellers who were due to travel, or already had. In some cases, visitors to other countries found themselves in a mad scramble to return to the UK before the deadlines imposed by the British Home Office. Indeed, holiday makers desperate to avoid an imposed lock-down on their return were often paying vastly inflated sums of money to get back to the UK by any means; by land, air, or sea.

With the onset of the second wave of COVID-19 cases in many countries, we will review how the UK Home Office’s guidance on travel corridors has evolved, and list which countries we can currently travel to.

Which Countries Have Been Removed from England’s Travel Corridor List in the Last Month?

Due to spiking levels of COVID-19 infection rates in Europe, it is not surprising to see that many of the countries which have been removed from the travel corridor list are European. There are also several small islands in the Caribbean included on the list. In the past few weeks, the following countries have been removed:

On 18^th October 2020:
- Italy
- San Marino
- Vatican City State
On 3^rd October 2020:
- Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba (Dutch islands in the Caribbean)
- Poland and Turkey
On 26^th September 2020:
- Curaçao
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Slovakia
On 19^th September 2020:
- Guadeloupe
- Slovenia
On 12^th September 2020:
- French Polynesia
- Hungary
- Portugal
- Réunion

Which Countries Have Been Added to England’s Travel Corridor List in the Last m

Month?

It is clear to see that since 12^th September 2020, far more countries have been removed from the English air corridor list than have been added. It is also interesting to note that some of those are European, most notably Sweden. Given that Sweden has famously trodden its own path of fewer, not more, restrictions, it is remarkable to see their addition to the air travel corridor list. As of 19^th October, Sweden saw 676 new cases (compared with over 20,000 on 20^th October in the UK), and zero COVID-19 related deaths. Indeed, since 16^th October there have been no reported COVID deaths in Sweden.

The full list of countries which are now included in England’s travel corridor list as of 21^st October 2020 are as follows:

Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
the Azores
Barbados
Bermuda
British Antarctic Territory
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Cayman Islands
the Channel Islands
Cuba
Cyprus
Dominica
Estonia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
Gibraltar
Germany
Greece (except Mykonos)
Greenland
Grenada
Hong Kong
Ireland
the Isle of Man
Japan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Macao (Macau)
Madeira
Malaysia
Mauritius
Montserrat
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Norway
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
Seychelles
Singapore
South Korea
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
St Barthélemy
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Pierre and Miquelon
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Sweden
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam

What do the Travel Corridor Rules Mean in Practice?

Given the number of rules now in place, including the new COVID Alert Levels system introduced recently by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, it is understandable that many travellers or prospective travellers are unsure of what they mean. The key points to be aware of are as follows:

You will not need to self-isolate for 14 days if you are returning from a country on the travel corridor list.
If you arrive from a country which has been removed from the exemption list, you will need to self-isolate on your return for 14 days (assuming you arrive after the deadline).
If you spend time at the end of your trip in a country which is on the corridor list, the time spent in this country can be removed from the 14 days you need to be in isolation
If you are not required to self-isolate on your return from another country, you will need to adhere to the local lockdown restrictions in your area
If your journey involves transit stops in a country, not on the travel corridor list, you will not need to self-isolate on your return if no new passengers get on, no-one on-board gets off and mixes with people outside, or passengers get off but do not get back on. If new passengers get on, or you or other passengers get off the transport you are on and mix with other people, then get on again, then you must self-isolate for 14 days on your return.
If you are travelling in a private vehicle through a country, not on the list, you will not need to self-isolate if no new people in that country get into your vehicle, or if no one in the vehicle gets out, mixes with others, and gets back in.
All travellers returning to the UK are required to complete a passenger locator form (this can be done up to 2 days before arrival in the UK).

Final Words

Many European countries have now been removed from the travel corridor list issued by the Home Office; notably Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium. It is still possible to travel to some countries in Europe such as Germany, Ireland, Norway, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. If you would like to go skiing in the upcoming Winter season, your options are much more limited, unless you are happy to self-isolate on your return. If you are not, you could consider resorts in Germany such as Garmish-Partenkirchen, Teinplatte/Winklmoosalm and Reit im Winkl in Bavaria. Other options will be available in Sweden and eastern European countries such as Lithuania and Latvia. And let us not forget, Scotland.