Travel green list: What are the new holiday travel rules?

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The government has updated its list of countries people from the UK can visit.

Earlier this year the government introduced a travel list which uses a traffic light system to say which countries people can visit, and what the rules are for visiting them.

The green list is made up of countries that the government say are safe enough to travel to WITHOUT having to quarantine or isolate when they return.

Now, the government has announced that 16 new countries have been added to the green list from 30 June.

Although the green list is the longest it's been, some airlines and travel companies have criticised the announcement, saying it is not enough to help the tourism industry and encourage people to take trips abroad.

How do the lists work?

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The international travel lists were set up as the government said it wanted to be clear with people where they could travel to and what they needed to do when they came back.

Countries are put on a red, amber or green list, but holidaymakers should not travel to amber or red list countries, according to government guidance.

Which new countries have been added to the green list?

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The places added to the green list from 30 June are:

  • Europe: The Balearic Islands (which include Ibiza, Menorca, Majorca and Formentera), Malta and Madeira
  • Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Other British Overseas Territories: Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory and Pitcairn

Six places have also be added to the red list from 30 June They are: The Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Haiti, Mongolia, Tunisia and Uganda.

All of the new additions to the green list, with the exception of Malta, have also been added to the green watch list, which means they are at risk of moving back to amber. Israel and Jerusalem have also been put on the watch list.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also said that the government is thinking about scrapping quarantine for fully-vaccinated people returning from amber list countries "later in the summer".