UK flight bans: Which countries have imposed restrictions and for how long?
More than 70 countries are now prohibiting UK visitors
By Oliver Smith 3 January 2021 • 9:31am
The Dutch government was the first to ban those arriving from Britain
More than 70 countries have imposed restrictions on UK arrivals due to fears over a new Covid variant. However, some are replacing their blanket ban with a requirement to carry evidence of a negative test. Here we explain everything you need to know about the developing situation.
Which countries have banned flights from the UK?
At least 70 countries have now introduced restrictions. Furthermore, the UK has banned travel to South Africa over a second new variant, with anyone who has been to the country in the last fortnight urged to self-isolate.
Within Europe, France, Spain, Denmark, Gibraltar, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Estonia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Switzerland, Ireland, Sweden, Slovakia, Romania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Austria, Hungary, Portugal, Latvia, Finland, Moldova, Denmark, Turkey, Russia and the Netherlands have either halted flights from the UK or imposed new restrictions on British visitors (full details below).
Beyond Europe, the United States, Brazil, Canada, Kuwait, Mauritius, Tunisia, Seychelles, Guinea, Nepal, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Israel, Chile, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Peru, India, Argentina, Bolivia, Japan, Morocco, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Panama, Philippines, Singapore, Tunisia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jamaica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Angola, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Algeria, El Salvador, Iraq, Honduras, Guatemala, Fiji and Saudi Arabia are barring arrivals from the UK, or restricting entry (full details below).
It should be noted that arrivals from the UK already faced prohibitive restrictions in many of these countries, including China, Canada, Israel and Saudi Arabia, while most of Europe is already on the UK's travel red list, meaning visitors must self-isolate for 10 days when they return home.
When do the flight bans start and how long do they last?
It varies by country:
Algeria: Travel has been banned between the two nations with Algeria refusing to repatriate its citizens.
Angola: Angola has announced that it has closed its borders to arrivals from the UK.
Argentina: Argentina's borders are closed to all non-resident foreign nationals.
Austria: The Austrian Government has announced that from midnight on 22 December 2020 until 10 January 2021 a landing ban will be in place for all flights from the UK.
Bangladesh: From 1 January to 15 January, those arriving from the UK are required to complete 14 days of quarantine at a government facility or government approved hotel.
Belgium: Flights have been banned for a further 24 hours after a one-day suspension was introduced from midnight on Sunday.
Bolivia: The government has announced that passengers from Europe will not be allowed to enter the country from December 25 until January 8 2021
Brazil: As of 25 December 2020, Brazil has temporarily suspended all flights from or via the UK.
Bulgaria: The Government of Bulgaria has announced that direct commercial flights from the UK can recommence with immediate effect, but with a new Covid-19 testing requirement in place from 00:01 on December 24 for all travellers.
Canada: Justin Trudeau has tweeted that flights have been temporarily suspended for 72 hours from Sunday night. Brits who arrived on Sunday will be subject to extra screenings and other "advanced measures".
Chile: From Tuesday 22 December at 12am, non-resident foreign nationals that have been in the United Kingdom during the last 14 days will not be allowed entry to Chile. Direct UK-Chile flights have been suspended from the same time. Along with other pre-entry requirements, the Chilean government has announced that from Thursday, 31 December, all other travellers including Chileans, resident and non-resident foreign nationals have to complete a mandatory 10-day quarantine on arrival in Chile. After seven days of mandatory quarantine, travellers may take a PCR test, remaining in quarantine while awaiting the result.
China: All direct flights from the UK to mainland China have been suspended.
Colombia: From 22 December, you cannot enter Colombia if your journey started in the UK.
Croatia: Croatia has announced it will be prohibiting entry for non-Croatian air passengers from the United Kingdom until 11pm UK time on December 31.
Czech Republic: The Czech government has prolonged restrictions on all direct flights from the UK until further notice. Entry to the Czech Republic is possible only for Czech citizens and those with residency or valid long-term visas for the Czech Republic.
Denmark: From 25 December until 3 January those resident in the UK will not be able to enter Denmark, with a few exceptions.
Dominican Republic: The Dominican government has suspended all inbound passenger flights from the UK from Tuesday 22 December until Sunday 10 January 2021.
El Salvador: Anyone who has traveled to South Africa or the UK in the past 30 days will be denied entry.
Estonia: Flights suspended until at least January 1.
Fiji: The Fijian government has announced a suspension of all inbound passenger flights to Fiji until December 28.
Finland: Flights have been suspended for two weeks.
France: All travel to the UK was halted for 48 hours on Sunday night, including freight, rail, ferry and air networks. Only unaccompanied freight will be allowed through. Eurostar and Eurotunnel services are not running, while the port at Dover is also closed.
Germany: The German Government has extended its ban on air passenger flights arriving from the UK to Germany to a ban on all forms of transport until Wednesday 6 January 2021.
Gibraltar: Only residents and essential workers will be permitted to enter from December 23 until further notice.
Greece: All arrivals need to provide proof of a negative PCR test, undertaken within the 72 hour period before your time of arrival into Greece. Anyone entering Greece will also be asked to undergo a rapid test on arrival. Arrivals from the UK between 6am local time on 25 December and midnight on 7 January will be required to self-isolate for 10 days in the event of a negative test result.
Grenada: Anyone who has a travel history of the UK in the previous 14 days will not be allowed entry to Grenada. All air traffic between Grenada and the UK has also been suspended until further notice.
Guatemala: Guatemala does not permit the entry of travellers who have been in the United Kingdom or South Africa in the 14 days prior to their arrival. This measure is not applicable to Guatemalan nationals, diplomats or foreign nationals who are legal residents in the country.
Guinea: All passengers arriving in Conakry must show a Covid-19 certificate with a negative PCR result from a test taken within 5 days of arrival and within 3 days of departure. Following the identification of a new strain, travellers from the UK must also take a PCR test on arrival and remain in quarantine until the result.
Honduras: Honduras does not permit the entry of travellers who have been in the United Kingdom or South Africa in the 21 days prior to their arrival.
Hong Kong: Travellers who had visited the UK for more than two hours within the past 21 days will be denied entry to Hong Kong.
Hungary: A ban on UK flights is in effect until February 8.
India: On 30 December, Government of India announced that the temporary suspension of all flights from the UK to India will now be extended until 7 January 2021 11:59pm (IST).
Indonesia: With effect from 23 December 2020 until 1 January 2021, any non-Indonesian traveller who begins their journey from the UK will not be allowed to enter Indonesia.
Iran: Flights suspended for two weeks.
Iraq: A two-week ban on flights from the UK will come in to effect on Christmas Eve. Returning Iraqis may come home, but are subject to a two-week quarantine.
Ireland: The Irish Government has extended a ban on flights and passenger ferry journeys from Great Britain and South Africa to Ireland until 6 January.
Israel: All travellers from Britain, South Africa and Denmark have been banned entry. Israeli citizens returning from these places will be subject to tough quarantine, according to Benjamin Natanyahu.
Italy: The Italian government announced on December 23 that flights between the UK and Italy could resume after a temporary pause. However, with immediate effect and until January 15, entry into Italy from the UK is only permitted for those with official residency in Italy OR those with absolute necessity, which must be declared in writing.
Jamaica: All travellers arriving in Jamaica from the UK from 21 December until 31 January will be subject to 48 hour state quarantine on landing and then tested for Covid.
Japan: From December 24, new entry to Japan by foreign nationals coming from the United Kingdom will not be permitted.
Jordan: On 21 December the Jordanian government suspended all direct air passenger flights between the UK and Jordan from 21 December 2020 to 3 January 2021.
Kosovo: Kosovo has announced it will be restricting travel to and from the UK from December 23.
Kuwait: As of 20 December 2020 travellers cannot enter Kuwait if they have been in the UK during the preceding 14 days.
Latvia: Flights suspended until January 1. Bus and ferry services have also been shut down.
Lithuania: Flights suspended until January 1.
Luxembourg: From Thursday 24 December the Luxembourg Government requires airline passengers from the UK to be in possession of a negative test result. This test should be taken no more than 48 hours before arrival in Luxembourg.
Malta: All flights suspended to and from the UK from midnight on Tuesday.
Mauritius: Individuals who have been in the UK within the previous 15 days will not be allowed entry to Mauritius. On 29 December, the Government of Mauritius announced that this measure will be in force until at least 10 January 2021, pending a further review.
Moldova: The Moldovan government has announced the suspension of all UK flights to and from Chisinau from midnight on December 23. No date to review this decision has been announced.
Montenegro: From December 25 entry will be available only with a negative PCR test taken within the previous 72 hours.
Morocco: With effect from midnight on 20 December, the Moroccan Government suspended until further notice all direct flights between Morocco and the UK.
Nepal: The Government of Nepal has restricted entry of all passengers originating from or transiting the UK until further notice.
Netherlands: The Dutch Government has announced that from 1 January 2021, non-EU/EEA nationals and nationals of non-Schengen states, including UK nationals, will not be permitted entry to the Netherlands for non-essential purposes due to EU-wide Covid-19 restrictions.
Pakistan: Inbound travellers from the UK, or those who have been in the UK in the last 10 days, will not be able to enter Pakistan until January 4.
Panama: All passengers who have been to the UK or South Africa in the last 20 days will be denied entry.
Peru: All flights to and from Europe have been suspended for two weeks President Francisco Sagasti announced.
Philippines: The Philippines has temporarily banned entry for all non-Filipino citizens arriving from the UK and a number of other countries, until 15 January 2021.
Poland: Flights from UK to Poland suspended until at least January 6.
Portugal: Lisbon has announced its ban in coordination with Spain, it's only neighbour by land.
Romania: Flights banned for two weeks.
Russia: The Kremlin have suspended air travel between Russia and the UK until January 12 2021.
Saudi Arabia: The Saudi authorities require anyone who is travelling from a country where the new strain of Covid-19 has spread to spend at least 14 days outside the effected country before entering the Kingdom. This includes travellers from the UK.
Seychelles: The Government of Seychelles has announced that, with effect from December 28, the United Kingdom will no longer feature on the list of countries from which visitors may travel to Seychelles.
Singapore: UK traveller , and any passenger who has been to UK in the last 14 days, is banned from transiting through Singapore "until further notice".
Slovakia: From 1 January 2021, only those people who are resident in Slovakia, close relatives of residents, commercial transport personnel or those who fall under certain limited exemptions may enter the country if they arrive directly from the UK or any other non-Schengen country which is not on Slovakia's list of low-risk countries.
South Korea: Direct flights from UK to South Korea are temporarily suspended until 7 January 2021. From 1 January 2021 all arrivals entering South Korea from the UK will be required to provide a negative PCR test declaration, issued within 48 hours of departure.
Spain: Spain have announced they will be restricting passenger travel from the UK (by air and sea) from 22 December until 6pm (GMT+1) on 5 January (5pm / GMT in the Canary Islands), with the exception of Spanish nationals and those legally resident in Spain. This includes flights from the UK to the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands.
Sri Lanka: All flights from UK and UK travellers are banned, as of 2am on December 23, until further notice.
St Kitts and Nevis: The country has temporarily suspended British Airways flights from the UK, effective December 26 to January 2. In addition, travellers from the UK are required to quarantine at their hotel.
Sweden: A temporary entry ban applies to all passengers arriving from the UK. British nationals who can demonstrate that they live or work in Sweden or have urgent family reasons are exempt.
Switzerland: On December 20, Switzerland announced a general entry ban for all travellers from the UK, and suspended all flights between the UK and Switzerland. On December 23, the Swiss Government introduced an exemption to allow passenger flights to/from the UK from December 24 for the purpose of enabling residents of UK and Switzerland to return in both directions.
Taiwan: From the 1st January 2021 foreign nationals are not permitted to enter Taiwan, all direct passenger flights between the UK and Taiwan will be suspended.
Tunisia: On 21 December, the Tunisian government suspended the entry into Tunisia of passengers coming from or transiting through the UK.
Turkey: Whilst direct flights were temporarily suspended, they have resumed at a reduced frequency.
All passengers travelling to Turkey of six years of age and over will be required, before boarding, to submit a negative PCR test result completed within 72 hours prior to their time of arrival into Turkey. This requirement also applies to passengers in transit to another country via Turkey. In addition, passengers who have visited the UK, Denmark or South Africa within the previous ten days will be required to self-isolate for seven days upon arrival.
United States: If you are flying to the US from the UK on or after 28 December, you must test negative via PCR or Antigen test no more than 72 hours before your departure from the UK.
Uzbekistan: All travellers from the UK, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Australia and South Africa are banned until at least January 10.
It is likely that the shorter bans will be extended until the situation regarding the variant is clearer.
Colombia 🇨🇴 held an emergency briefing to announce an immediate ban on ALL air travel to/from UK, citing fears & 'great concern' of the new #COVID19 strain sweeping across Britain ✈️⛔️
(This is similar to what happened to Wuhan, but worse). pic.twitter.com/6E4sHD3pLV
— Alex Macheras (@AlexInAir) December 21, 2020
Are international train and ferry links running?
Eurostar said it was unable to run trains from London to Paris, Brussels, Lille or Amsterdam on Monday or Tuesday. The rail company plans to resume services to and from the UK on Wednesday, but this is subject to change.
Eurotunnel said access to its UK site was prohibited from 10pm on Sunday after its last train left at 9.34pm.
Dover's ferry terminal has also closed to "all accompanied traffic leaving the UK" after France moved to shut its border.
Is anyone exempt from the bans?
While France is blocking ferries from crossing the Channel, Ireland's transport minister Eamon Ryan said they will continue to operate for freight between Britain and Ireland.
"We need haulage coming in to keep our shelves full but other passengers will be restricted," he said.
The German government said exemptions from its flight ban include repatriation flights of planes and their crews, postal, freight or empty flights and aircraft carrying medical personnel.
Portugal will continue to permit Portuguese residents to return home from the UK so long as they take a test.
The Bulgarian embassy in London said on its website that Bulgarian citizens and their families, as well as permanent residents in Bulgaria, were able to enter the country subject to a 10-day quarantine if they fly through a different country or enter Bulgaria on land or by sea.
What are my rights if I'm affected?
If you are due to travel and your trip has been affected you must be refunded by your airline or tour operator.
British Airways said: "Due to the current coronavirus pandemic and changing global travel restrictions we are operating a reduced and dynamic schedule.
"If your flight is cancelled, we will contact you but please check the status of your flight before travelling to the airport."
Ryanair added: "For any flights to/from the UK in the coming days which are banned by EU governments' regulation, all affected customers will receive an email notification and they will be offered practical alternatives including free moves (no change fee applies) or refunds if they so wish."
Ryanair statement on flights to/from the UK 20 - 24 Dec: pic.twitter.com/U4Tu4lUsGR
— Ryanair Press Office (@RyanairPress) December 20, 2020
What discussions are taking place between governments?
An EU crisis meeting has been called for Monday to discuss the coordination of the response to coronavirus among the 27 member states.
Boris Johnson is due to chair a meeting of the UK Government's COBR civil contingencies committee on Monday.
Why is this all happening?
A strain of coronavirus sweeping across London and the south east of England has prompted the EU nations to start restricting inbound flights from the UK.
Mr De Croo said Belgium's flight ban was "out of precaution", adding: "There are a great many questions about this new mutation."
On Saturday, Mr Johnson said there was "no evidence" the new variant "causes more severe illness or higher mortality" but "it does appear to be passed on significantly more easily".
He said the new strain could be up to 70% more transmissible than the old virus variant.
Am I allowed to travel abroad from England?
If you are living in one of the newly created Tier 4 areas, which encompasses London and parts of the south east and east of England, you should not travel abroad unless you have an essential reason.
Government guidance states people from these areas can only travel internationally if they are "legally permitted to do so, for example, because it is for work".
Across England people are advised to stay local and avoid travelling outside their area.
For those living in Tier 1, 2, and 3 areas, the guidance advises potential international travellers to "carefully consider whether they must travel abroad".
Which Covid tier am I in?
It advises them to "follow the rules in their area" and consider the public health advice in the country they plan to visit.
Someone living outside Tier 4 can transit into or through a Tier 4 area to travel abroad if they need to.
People are also warned to check travel advice from the FCDO and what rules are in place at their destination. For many countries the FCDO is advising against all but essential travel.
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