Which countries from the UK can I escape to?

There are currently 62 countries and territories on the travel corridors list including newly added Thailand. These are counties which you can travel to without the need to quarantine on your return to the UK. However, before you start to find flights, many of these countries impose restrictions on arrival. These restrictions may involve the need to provide evidence of a negative test or quarantine. You need to research a number of factors to determine which countries from the UK you can escape to.

Do your homework before you travel to ensure your holiday in the sun does not turn into a holiday from hell. Once you remove countries that have closed their borders and others that impose restrictions on entry, there are currently just nine territories and countries we can visit from the UK. Furthermore, each week it seems more countries are removed from the list so the situation is changing rapidly.

Which countries from the UK can you visit?

The table below shows the list of 62 countries and territories exempt from quarantine on arrival into the UK. It then highlights whether the destination is open to tourists and other restrictions on travel. Finally it highlights which countries are excluded from ‘essential travel only‘.‘  Only a country or territory which ticks all boxes is really a viable option for most travellers (unless you are willing and able to quarantine).

The links for each country take you to the FCO website where the full entry requirements are highlighted.

Data is for arrival by plane. If you plan to arrive by sea, you should check the entry requirements with the relevant country as these may differ.

Covid stats for travel corridor countries

I have included data which shows the number of Coronavirus infections for 14 days per 100,000. The UK government uses this data to categorise countries by risk. The UK may remove countries with rrates in excess of 20 cases per 100,000 over seven days with little notice.

There are just nine countries and territories where you can travel without restriction either on arrival or departure.

Where can you go in the world?

Country (or territory)	Cases per 100,000 over 14 days (Source: ECDC)	Cases per 100,000 over 7 days (Source:  The Telegraph). Only included for countries with no current restrictions on arrival or return	Exempt from ‘all but essential international travel’ (FCO guidance)	Restrictions on entry apply (such as the requirement for a negative test and/or quarantine)	Good to go
Akrotiri and Dhekelia (Cyprus)	17.24		√	×	×
Anguilla	0		×	×	×
Antigua and Barbuda	3.09		√	×	×
Australia	1.73		√ (for all states but Victoria)	×	×
the Azores	89.93	46.30	√	√	√
Barbados	3.48		√	×	×
Bermuda	6.4		√	×	×
Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba	230.92		×	×	×
British Antarctic Territory	Not available		√	√ (however arrival is generally via countries in South America meaning you will likely not be able to return to the UK without quarantine on arrival)	×
British Indian Ocean Territory	Not available		√	×	×
British Virgin Islands	23.31		×	×	×
Brunei	0		√	×	×
Cayman Islands	3.08		√	×	×
the Channel Islands	Not available		×	×	×
Cuba	6.68		√	×	×
Cyprus	17.24		√	×	×
Dominica	0		√	×	×
Estonia	36.68		√	×	×
Falkland Islands	0		√	×	×
Faroe Islands	86.28		√	×	×
Fiji	0		√	×	×
Finland	17.62		√	×	×
Gibraltar	121.64	Not available	√	√	√
Germany	29.21	14.84	√	√	√
Greece (except the islands of Crete, Lesvos, Mykonos, Santorini, Serifos, Tinos and Zakynthos – if you arrive in England from any of these islands you will need to self-isolate)	38.97	20.76	√	√	√
Greenland	0		√	×	×
Grenada	0		√	×	×
Hong Kong	Not available		√	×	×
Ireland	76.34		√	×	×
the Isle of Man	3.55	Not available	√	√	√
Italy	35.52	18.7	√	√	√
Japan	5.13		√	×	×
Latvia	8.65		√	×	×
Liechtenstein	20.85		√	× (Land borders only and neighbouring countries have restrictions)	×
Lithuania	33.68		√	×	×
Macao (Macau)	Not available		√	×	×
Madeira	89.93	46.30	√	√	√
Malaysia	2.4		√	×	×
Mauritius	0.87		×	×	×
Montserrat	0		√	×	×
New Caledonia	0.35		√	×	×
New Zealand	0.65		√	×	×
Norway	28.9		√	×	×
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands	Not available		×	×	×
Poland	29.89	16.43	√	√	√
San Marino	69.66	18.7	√	√	√
Seychelles	6.14		×	×	×
Singapore (if you arrived in England from Singapore before 4am 19 September 2020 you will need to self-isolate)	6.03		√	×	×
South Korea	2.85		√	×	×
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	Not available		√	×	×
St Barthélemy	Not available	Not available	√	√	√
St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	Not available		√	×	×
St Kitts and Nevis	3.79		√	×	×
St Lucia	0		√	×	×
St Pierre and Miquelon	Not available		√	×	×
St Vincent and the Grenadines	0		×	×	×
Sweden	41.09	23.61	√	√	√
Taiwan	0.05		√	×	×
Thailand (if you arrived in England from Thailand before 4am 19 September 2020 you will need to self-isolate)	0.08		√	×	×
Turkey	28.45	14.27	√	√	√
Vatican City State	35.52	18.7	√	√	√
Vietnam	0.01		√	×	×

Note, that almost all countries will insist on quarantine if you show signs of Covid during travel or on arrival. The above table is for guidance therefore and you clearly should not travel if you suspect you may have contracted the illness.

Which countries can you escape to?

The column on the far right highlights the countries that you could visit currently without quarantine or restrictions. As you can see there are not many.

Travel responsibly

If you wish to visit a country which requires a negative test, you should not use the NHS service. You should instead book a private test which costs £175 per person from City Doc. Please do not use valuable public resource to facilitate your holiday when that action could deny someone who has the illness access to a test.

Have your say

Have you been away this summer? Would you take the risk? Please let us know what you think in the comments.