Publication - Advice and guidance
Coronavirus (COVID-19): international travel and managed isolation (quarantine)
Planning foreign travel, quarantine rules and information on testing for people entering Scotland.
Overview
When planning travel from or to Scotland, you must:
- check the rules for any country/territory that you are travelling to - foreign travel advice by country is on gov.uk
- check whether a country you’re travelling to is on the red list
- confirm what rules you will need to follow when travelling to Scotland - the rules you need to follow will depend on whether you are fully vaccinated or not
You should not assume that the red list will remain the same over the weeks and months ahead. The status of the red list is formally reviewed every three weeks, but if there’s a sudden rise in cases of COVID-19, countries on the red list can change at short notice.
Travel within Scotland and to other parts of the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies
Travel within the UK, and to the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, is not counted as international travel. This means that you do not need to test, isolate or fill in a passenger locator form if:
- you’re travelling to Scotland from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey
- you have not travelled anywhere other than these areas in the 10 days before you arrive in Scotland
Your plans may still be affected if the area you’re travelling to or from has local restrictions in place.
For information on local travel restrictions, see guidance on travel within Scotland, other parts of the UK, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey.
Contact
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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Amended text on Red, amber and green list countries.
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Text updates to Red and non-red list rules.
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Revised red list and accepted vaccines for 'fully vaccinated' status.
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Linked to news release announcing changes to the red list from 11 October.
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Update to reflect changes that came into effect today. Green and amber lists no longer in use, changes to pre-departure testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers.
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Minor updates to links and bullet point re. amber countries.
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Amendment to text on amber countries section for 'if you're not fully vaccinated' to clarify when 10 day period starts.
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Revisions to red, amber and green list countries effective from 4am on 19 July 2021.
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Added news release to Overview and Red, amber and green list countries.
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Revised red list to show upcoming changes.
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Exemptions page updated - sections on clinical trials and studies and specialist technical work in sub-sea telecommunications infrastructure, goods, waste, power infrastructure or space infrastructure updated to include testing information update.
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Link updated on testing for people travelling to Scotland page.
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Updated to reflect that private providers are now eligible to supply testing kits.
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Added Luxembourg to amber list.
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Changes to Overview and Red, amber and green list countries.
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Changes to Overview, Red, amber and green list countries and Testing for people travelling to Scotland.
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Altered the layout of the red, amber, green list page so that green is at the top. Amended the text in the amber section to make the vaccination content clearer.
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Updated email on Managed isolation: what you must do
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Amended pricing for testing.
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Updated Managed and self isolation: what you must do
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Changes to Overview, Red amber and green list countries, Sectoral exemptions and Managed isolation: what you must do pages.
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Changes to Overview, Red amber and green list countries and Managed isolation: what you must do pages.
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Changes to overview page and amber countries page reflecting latest changes in respect of vaccinations and travel.
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Changes to overview page and amber countries page reflecting latest changes in respect of vaccinations and travel.
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Changes to Overview and Red, green and amber list countries and Testing for people travelling to Scotland.
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Changes to Overview and Red, green and amber list countries.
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Compassionate exemptions on medical grounds section added to sector exemptions page - exemptions: arriving from all countries.
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Word "quarantine" replaced replaced with “self-isolate at home or the place you are staying” in references to arrivals from France.
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Revisions to red, amber and green list countries effective from 4am on 19 July 2021.
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Amended to highlight that 19 July double NHS vaccination rules will not apply to people returning from France.
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Updated to reflect changes coming into force on 19 July 2021, in particular overview, all lists and details and isolating in a hotel
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Changed sectoral exemptions for seafarers.
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Amended sectoral exemptions for defence personnel.
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Amended sectoral exemptions for seamen.
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Amended red, amber and green lists to reflect changes coming into effect at 4am.
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Amended the amber list to show changes coming into effect on 30 June 2021.
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Added link to news release - expanded travel green list for Scotland - dated 24 June, following latest review.
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Updated offshore oil and gas work in sectoral exemptions page to reflect current situation.
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Added information notice to Red list countries and areas section.
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Updated elite sportspeople in sectoral exemptions page to reflect current situation.
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Amendment to sectoral exemptions page for those returning from amber countries. Removed: 'you do not need to book a managed isolation package' as these sectors do not need to self isolate.
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Overview and red, amber and green counties pages updated to reflected latest situation.
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Added details in the sectoral exemptions chapter, seafarers section on cruise ship detail.
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Changes made to 'getting help paying for your hotel quarantine section' email and telephone numbers on the managed and self isolation page.
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Link to CTM booking portal amended.
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Boarding school pupils and children under 18 travelling without an adult information updated.
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Updated seamen, masters of ships, ship inspectors or surveyors of ships information.
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Updated to reflect regulation changes on 17 May 2021.
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Added information on the red, amber and green list countries that will come into effect on 17 May 2021.
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Nepal, Maldives and Turkey added to list of acute risk countries.
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Changes made to links for seasonal migrant workers. Also minor amendments made to what you must do and sectoral exemptions pages to add links to ctm portal and north hotels.
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Made sectoral exemptions page testing criteria clearer.
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Information on getting help to pay for your hotel quarantine updated.
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Line added to information note on sectoral exemptions page about booking of testing packages.
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Sectoral exemptions amended because the existing exemption for ‘transporting human cells or blood’ will be extended to arrivals from all countries effective from 4am on Friday 23 April.
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India added to list of acute risk countries as of 4am on Friday 23 April.
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Added Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and Philippines to list of acute risk countries as of 4am on Friday 9 April.
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Added information box and link and updated seamen section in sectoral exemptions, update to covid testing in travelling to England in managed and self-isolation page.
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Clarification of testing for children aged 11 or over in the boarding schools section.
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Updates to the boarding schools/children under 18 section in sectoral exemptions.
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sectoral exemptions (seamen) section updated.
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Addition of boarding school pupils and children under 18 travelling without an adult to sectoral exemptions page
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Updated phone number in managed and self isolation section.
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Update to section on seamen, masters of ships, ship inspectors or surveyors of ships in sectoral exemptions.
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Updated the text relating exemptions to aircraft pilots or crew and seamen etc in relation to travel from acute risk countries
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Removed Mauritius and Portugal from acute risk countries and added: Ethiopia, Oman, Qatar and Somalia.
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Revised layout to make it clearer.
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Added information about previous positive test results to testing for people travelling to Scotland section.
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Removed Falkland Islands from list of acute list countries.
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Added Myanmar to list of exemptions in testing for people travelling to Scotland section.
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Added links to supplementary agricultural advice.
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Change made to introductory paragraph of managed isolation guidance page.
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All pages updated and new content added on managed isolation.
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Link added to booking portal from key facts page.
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Sectoral exemptions page updated.
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Key facts and what you must do pages updated.
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Added new section on arrival from Burundi, Rwanda and the UAE.
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List of country exemptions removed.
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Added suspended information to film and tv sectoral exemption.
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List of exempt countries removed following the suspension of travel corridors.
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Country exemptions page and key facts page updated to reflect the fact that the travel corridors have been suspended until further notice.
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Added new section on testing for people travelling to Scotland.
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Updated travel information for Brazil, Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba and Qatar
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Key facts page amended to include information about requirement to have a valid negative COVID-19 test result, taken no more than three days before the scheduled time of departure.
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Added information re United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Added information on arrivals from Dubai to the exemptions page.
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Updates on travel advice for: Israel and Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Israel
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Caution note added to key facts page regarding travel restrictions from the UK.
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Updated country exemptions page to reference arrivals from Namibia, Uruguay and US Virgin Islands.
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Updated to reflect change in self-isolation period from 14 to 10 days.
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Updated to reflect changes including addition of Botswana and Saudi Arabia and removal of Canary Islands from 04:00o on 12/12/21.
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Updated country exemptions page to reflect latest position.
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Various changes to the list of country exemptions.
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Updated exemptions page to reflect recent changes
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Changes to various country exemptions.
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Changes to travel rules covering Denmark.
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Removed Denmark from list of exempt countries.
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Updated travel information for Germany and Sweden.
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Updated travel information for Cyprus and Lithuania.
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Regulations page updated
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Updated travel information for the Canary Islands, Denmark, the Maldives and Mykonos, and Liechtenstein.
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Updated travel information for Greece and Italy.
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Updated travel information for Madeira and Azores; Poland, Turkey and the Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
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Updated travel information for Curacao, Denmark, Iceland and Slovakia.
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Updated travel information for Singapore, Thailand, Slovenia and Guatemala.
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Updates to Overview and Regulations pages.
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Updated travel information for Sweden, Hungary and La Reunion
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Updated travel information for Portugal and French Polynesia.
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Updated travel information for Greece.
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Added Cuba, removed Czech Republic and Jamaica.
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Changed number of exempt UK overseas territories from 14 to 13 and added note to Portugal.
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Removed Austria, Croatia, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago and added Portugal.
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Add notes for Austria, Croatia, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago and Portugal.
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Country exemptions: removed France, The Netherlands, Aruba, Turks and Caicos, Malta and Monaco
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Country exemptions: removed Andorra, The Bahamas and Belgium from list.
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Country exemptions: added info re Andorra, The Bahamas and Belgium.
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Removed Luxembourg from the exemptions list.
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Self isolation advice changed from 7 to 10 days
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Added Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadines to the exemptions list.
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Removed Spain to the exemptions list.
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Added Spain to the exemptions list.
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Added in links to the sectoral exemptions page to guidance for seasonal workers and elite sports.
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Changes to exemptions and sectoral exemptions pages to reflect the 'travel corridor'.
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Revised with country and sector specific information updates.
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Added link to news item detailing countries where rules do not apply