From Monday 4th October, there will be a new international travel system. Instead of the traffic light system with three red, amber and green categories, countries will either sit in a red list or another list that will have simplified rules.  

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps also announced that from 4th October, if you are double vaccinated you won’t need a pre-departure test before arriving into England from a non-red country.

From later in October, the day 2 PCR test requirement will be replaced with a cheaper lateral flow test.

Remember, these announcements only cover what happens to arrive back into England.

You must still check the entry requirements and travel rules for the country you’re visiting. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to make announcements in the coming days.

In addition, eight countries come off the red list on Wednesday 22nd September at 4am. These are:

Bangladesh

Egypt

Kenya

Maldives

Oman

Turkey

Pakistan

Sri Lanka