UK Travel Update: The Balearic Islands Bumped to the Amber List

Charlie Coronavirus Immigration updates Latest Immigration News Living in the UK News & Events Schengen Visas Spain Travel UK 16 July 2021 | Updated On July 20, 2021 | 0

A handful of holiday destinations are shuffled around the UK travel list depending on the COVID risks associated with travelling to and from them.

Less than a month since the Balearic Islands were deemed fit for quarantine-free travel, the islands are returning to the UK's amber list from COVID.

This means British nationals travelling from Ibiza, Majorca or Menorca to England will have to self-isolate for 10 days unless they have received both doses of the vaccines from the NHS or they are under 18. The move comes less than a fortnight after the Balearic Islands were added to the green list and is in response to a rapid rise in cases.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told reporters that the government had to “move quickly,” as the cases have doubled on the islands.

It is believed that the uptick in cases is related to end-of-term parties being held in the Balearics.

The change has been announced by Shapps on Twitter:

We’re also moving the Balearic Islands & British Virgin Islands to the amber list 🟠- previously on the green watchlist. Also, from 19/07 if you’re fully #Vaccinated in the UK you can return to England from amber countries and territories without needing to quarantine.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) July 14, 2021

No Quarantine for the Vaccinated from Amber Countries

Britain has one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world but so far the government has effectively prevented travel to most countries through quarantine and testing rules.

From 19 July, the UK will implement the new quarantine rule for the vaccinated holidaymakers. This will allow fully vaccinated individuals to travel without quarantine upon return to all countries except those on the red list. This means anyone coming from Ibiza, Majorca or Menorca can skip quarantine if they have been vaccinated and can prove it using the NHS app.

However, as the Balearic Islands will be moved to the amber list, young adults who have not been vaccinated will have to quarantine at home for 10 days upon return.

The islands are hugely popular with young British tourists and this is a major blow to young adults who are looking forward to summer relaxation.

Updated Amber List from 19th July

All travellers from amber list countries will need to present a negative COVID test, book a COVID test prior to arrival and complete a passenger locator form.

Vaccinated travellers will need to take a COVID test on day 2. Travellers not fully vaccinated or unvaccinated need to quarantine on arrival and take both the day 2 and day 8 COVID test.

From 19 July, the following countries will be on the amber list:

Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Fiji	Luxembourg	San Marino
Albania	Finland	Macao	Sao Tome and Principe
Algeria	France	Madagascar	Saudi Arabia
Andorra	French Polynesia	Malaysia	Senegal
Armenia	Gabon	Mali	Serbia
Aruba	The Gambia	Marshall Islands	Slovakia
Austria	Georgia	Martinique	Slovenia
Azerbaijan	Germany	Mauritania	Solomon Islands
The Bahamas	Ghana	Mauritius	South Korea
Belarus	Greece (including islands)	Mayotte	South Sudan
Belgium	Greenland	Mexico	St Kitts and Nevis
Belize	Guadeloupe	Micronesia	St Lucia
Benin	Guatemala	Moldova	St Maarten
Bhutan	Guinea	Monaco	St Martin and St Barthélemy
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba	Guinea-Bissau	Montenegro	St Pierre and Miquelon
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Honduras	Morocco	St Vincent and the Grenadines
Burkina Faso	Hungary	Nauru	Sweden
Cambodia	Iran	Netherlands	Switzerland
Cameroon	Iraq	New Caledonia	Syria
Canada	Italy	Nicaragua	Tajikistan
Central African Republic	Jamaica	Niger	Thailand
Chad	Japan	Nigeria	Timor-Leste
China	Jordan	North Korea	Togo
Comoros	Kazakhstan	North Macedonia	Tonga
Congo	Kiribati	Norway	Turkmenistan
Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue	Kosovo	The Occupied Palestinian Territories	Tuvalu
Côte d’Ivoire	Kuwait	Palau	Ukraine
Curaçao	Kyrgyzstan	Papua New Guinea	United States (USA)
Cyprus	Laos	Poland	Uzbekistan
Czech Republic (Czechia)	Latvia	Portugal (including the Azores)	Vanuatu
Denmark	Lebanon	Réunion	Vietnam
Djibouti	Liberia	Romania	Wallis and Futuna
El Salvador	Libya	Russia	Western Sahara
Equatorial Guinea	Liechtenstein	Samoa	Yemen
Estonia	Lithuania

What are your thoughts on this rule change? Talk to us in the comment section below.

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