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Coronavirus (COVID-19): international travel and managed isolation (quarantine)
Overview
Overview
Going abroad
If you’re planning to travel abroad, you must:
check whether a country you’re travelling to is on the red, amber or green list
confirm what you need to do when you arrive back in Scotland
The green, amber and red lists last changed on Tuesday 8 June. These lists may change again at short notice.
You should not assume that a country on the green, amber or red list now will remain on the same list over the weeks and months ahead. If you travel, you must follow the rules that are in place for a country or area at your time of travel
Travelling abroad also carries a risk of bringing new cases and variants of COVID-19 into Scotland. You should think carefully about whether your trip abroad is necessary before booking travel.
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
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
First published:30 Apr 2021Last updated:11 Jun 2021 - show all updates
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.
Overview and red, amber and green counties pages updated to reflected latest situation.
Added details in the sectoral exemptions chapter, seafarers section on cruise ship detail.
Changes made to 'getting help paying for your hotel quarantine section' email and telephone numbers on the managed and self isolation page.
Link to CTM booking portal amended.
Boarding school pupils and children under 18 travelling without an adult information updated.
Updated seamen, masters of ships, ship inspectors or surveyors of ships information.
Updated to reflect regulation changes on 17 May 2021.
Added information on the red, amber and green list countries that will come into effect on 17 May 2021.
Nepal, Maldives and Turkey added to list of acute risk countries.
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.
Made sectoral exemptions page testing criteria clearer.
Information on getting help to pay for your hotel quarantine updated.
Line added to information note on sectoral exemptions page about booking of testing packages.
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.
India added to list of acute risk countries as of 4am on Friday 23 April.
Added Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and Philippines to list of acute risk countries as of 4am on Friday 9 April.
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.
Clarification of testing for children aged 11 or over in the boarding schools section.
Updates to the boarding schools/children under 18 section in sectoral exemptions.
sectoral exemptions (seamen) section updated.
Addition of boarding school pupils and children under 18 travelling without an adult to sectoral exemptions page
Updated phone number in managed and self isolation section.
Update to section on seamen, masters of ships, ship inspectors or surveyors of ships in sectoral exemptions.
Updated the text relating exemptions to aircraft pilots or crew and seamen etc in relation to travel from acute risk countries
Removed Mauritius and Portugal from acute risk countries and added: Ethiopia, Oman, Qatar and Somalia.
Revised layout to make it clearer.
Added information about previous positive test results to testing for people travelling to Scotland section.
Removed Falkland Islands from list of acute list countries.
Added Myanmar to list of exemptions in testing for people travelling to Scotland section.
Added links to supplementary agricultural advice.
Change made to introductory paragraph of managed isolation guidance page.
All pages updated and new content added on managed isolation.
Link added to booking portal from key facts page.
Sectoral exemptions page updated.
Key facts and what you must do pages updated.
Added new section on arrival from Burundi, Rwanda and the UAE.
List of country exemptions removed.
Added suspended information to film and tv sectoral exemption.
List of exempt countries removed following the suspension of travel corridors.
Country exemptions page and key facts page updated to reflect the fact that the travel corridors have been suspended until further notice.
Added new section on testing for people travelling to Scotland.
Updated travel information for Brazil, Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba and Qatar
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.
Added information re United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Added information on arrivals from Dubai to the exemptions page.
Updates on travel advice for: Israel and Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Israel
Caution note added to key facts page regarding travel restrictions from the UK.
Updated country exemptions page to reference arrivals from Namibia, Uruguay and US Virgin Islands.
Updated to reflect change in self-isolation period from 14 to 10 days.
Updated to reflect changes including addition of Botswana and Saudi Arabia and removal of Canary Islands from 04:00o on 12/12/21.
Updated country exemptions page to reflect latest position.
Various changes to the list of country exemptions.
Updated exemptions page to reflect recent changes
Changes to various country exemptions.
Changes to travel rules covering Denmark.
Removed Denmark from list of exempt countries.
Updated travel information for Germany and Sweden.
Updated travel information for Cyprus and Lithuania.
Regulations page updated
Updated travel information for the Canary Islands, Denmark, the Maldives and Mykonos, and Liechtenstein.
Updated travel information for Greece and Italy.
Updated travel information for Madeira and Azores; Poland, Turkey and the Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
Updated travel information for Curacao, Denmark, Iceland and Slovakia.
Updated travel information for Singapore, Thailand, Slovenia and Guatemala.
Updates to Overview and Regulations pages.
Updated travel information for Sweden, Hungary and La Reunion
Updated travel information for Portugal and French Polynesia.
Updated travel information for Greece.
Added Cuba, removed Czech Republic and Jamaica.
Changed number of exempt UK overseas territories from 14 to 13 and added note to Portugal.
Removed Austria, Croatia, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago and added Portugal.
Add notes for Austria, Croatia, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago and Portugal.
Country exemptions: removed France, The Netherlands, Aruba, Turks and Caicos, Malta and Monaco
Country exemptions: removed Andorra, The Bahamas and Belgium from list.
Country exemptions: added info re Andorra, The Bahamas and Belgium.
Removed Luxembourg from the exemptions list.
Self isolation advice changed from 7 to 10 days
Added Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia and St Vincent and the Grenadines to the exemptions list.
Removed Spain to the exemptions list.
Added Spain to the exemptions list.
Added in links to the sectoral exemptions page to guidance for seasonal workers and elite sports.
Changes to exemptions and sectoral exemptions pages to reflect the 'travel corridor'.
Revised with country and sector specific information updates.
Added link to news item detailing countries where rules do not apply
