The UK has announced changes to its overseas travel laws. From 17 May, the ban on overseas travel for residents of England will be lifted without good and justifiable reason. But the list of countries to which you can freely travel contains only 12 items.

The Department for Transport has published a list of countries to which Brits will be allowed to travel after May 17. It turns out that only 12 directions will not be subject to strict restrictions.

As previously announced, individual countries are marked by colors – green, yellow and red. This classification determines which situations you can visit, how many coronavirus tests you should take after you return, and whether and what type of quarantine you should take. What countries are included in the green list?

Britain frees travel abroad

There are 12 countries and territories on the green list of countries from which there will be no quarantine on arrival. They are: Portugal, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Gibraltar, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Falkland Islands, St. Helena with Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia Islands and the South Sandwich Islands, which have no permanent residents. For Green List areas, you are still required to take a prepaid test and one test after arrival on the second day of your stay.

On the other hand, from May 12, three more will be added to the red list, which so far includes 40 countries and regions, mostly from Africa, South America and Asia – Turkey, Nepal and the Maldives. Trips to Red List countries remain prohibited, other than strictly necessary, and those who have been in them within 10 days prior to the planned arrival in England who are not citizens or residents of Great Britain or Ireland are prohibited from arriving. Those who can legally come from any of the countries on the list must take a pre-departure test and upon arrival they are subject to a 10-day paid quarantine at a hotel designated by the authorities. It cannot be shortened by additional testing.

Poland is on the yellow list. What are the restrictions for travelers?

Poland, like most EU countries, is marked in yellow by Great Britain, which means that – as before – you will have to take a paid test before arrival, two tests after arrival and undergo a 10-day home quarantine. As before, the duration of compulsory isolation can be shortened by another test on the fifth day at the earliest. But travel to the countries marked in yellow for recreational purposes, that is, for illegal reasons, is still prohibited.

The lists will be reviewed every three weeks, and if a country is at risk of being relegated to a lower category, it will be placed on a watch list, which will help facilitate planning for potential trips. But if the situation suddenly deteriorates, a change in the situation can occur without warning.

The new travel rules only apply to residents of England. The governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to announce when they will lift the travel ban.

Source: PAP, rp.pl, gov.pl