Coronavirus Travel Rights

As part of a system of rules on international travel, destinations are currently placed in one of three categories - green, amber and red, as set out in the table below. The Government says its traffic light lists are based on factors including the percentage of the country's population which has been vaccinated, the rate of infection, the prevalence of variants of concern, and the country's access to reliable scientific data.

Currently, destinations are generally categorised in the same way by England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, though that could change in future. The latest traffic light list update was announced on 17 September with the changes taking force from 22 September. This saw eight countries moved from the red to amber list. The Government's also said it will "not hesitate to act immediately" should the data show that countries' risk ratings have changed. 

The next update to the traffic light system will take place from 4 October but this will see the green and amber lists scrapped in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland (Wales is yet to confirm its position). See our traffic light overhaul info for the full details. 

Top holiday destinations – what are their rules?

The table below, which we're updating regularly, shows the latest situation for 20 of the top travel destinations for Brits. It shows where tests are needed pre-departure, though you may also need to take a test at the airport and quarantine if it comes back positive.

Always check for yourself before travelling or planning travel, as this is a fast-moving situation – if you spot something in the table that needs updating, please let us know.

How can I prove my vaccination status?

Here's how to prove your vaccination status:

• In England, if you're registered with a GP the Government says you can use the existing NHS health app to show your vaccination status when abroad – though it's best to check your destination will accept this before travelling. Alternatively, you can request paper validation online or by calling 119.
  
  
• In Northern Ireland, if you're travelling within the next three months, you can request a digital certificate and QR code online. Or, you can request a paper version by calling 0300 200 7814.
  
  
• In Scotland, you can view your vaccination record online or request a copy via the Covid-19 Status Helpline.
  
  
• In Wales, you can access your digital vaccination record online or request a paper certificate if you can't use the digital service or need a bilingual copy.
  

Travel firms SHOULD refund you for cancelled trips – though many have dragged their feet

As a general rule, if you've paid for a trip and then the travel firm cancels, you should be due a refund. Yet that hasn't always proved easy with cancellations due to the pandemic. While coronavirus has been devastating across the travel industry, firms have been treating customers in very different ways – as shown by several major MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) surveys we ran last year.

Even if some firms have previously been slow to refund customers, your right to a refund is clear:

• With most cancelled flights, you're due a full refund within seven days. Most cancelled flights will fall under flight delay rules (which have been written into UK law, and cover all flights leaving the UK or EU, as well as flights to the UK/EU on a UK/EU airline). These state you're entitled to choose between:
  • EITHER a refund for the flight that was cancelled.
  • OR an alternative flight (airlines call this re-routing) to your destination.
  
  We've seen some airlines pushing customers towards getting a voucher instead, but you are absolutely entitled to a refund in this situation. In theory and according to the law, this should also be paid in seven days, though aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) acknowledged it was "very challenging" for airlines to sort it that quickly at the height of the pandemic. While refund backlogs should now have been cleared, refunds may still take longer in the future if restrictions suddenly change and there's a spate of cancellations.

• With cancelled package holidays, you're due a full refund within 14 days. Package holidaymakers whose trips are cancelled are also entitled to all their money back under the Package Travel Regulations.
  
  Technically you're due this refund within two weeks, but in practice it could be longer – the Chartered Trading Standards Institute previously told us that insisting on a 14-day turnaround could be tricky given the volume of refunds travel firms were grappling with. While most of these backlogs should now have been cleared, it may still be advisable to show forbearance and not push the law as far as it can technically go on the timescale. But the important thing is that you are due a refund.
  
  

• With other travel bookings (hotels, car hire etc), the rules are less clear-cut but you SHOULD still get a refund. Generally speaking, if the service you have booked isn't provided, you should be refunded – and that's a principle the UK competition watchdog has clearly supported. Enforcing it may be tricky though, especially if the firm is abroad where local laws may be different to those in the UK – so there are no guarantees.
  
  Some countries may require you to show a negative test result on arrival. If you've taken the test but the trip is then cancelled, you need to contact the provider you ordered the test from to see if it'll refund you – but there are no guarantees. If you've paid for the test but not yet taken it as your trip was cancelled, you may find providers are more willing to give refunds.
  

If my flight or holiday goes ahead but I don't want to travel – or can't – what are my rights? 

What if the Foreign Office advises against travel?

Between March and July 2020, the Foreign Office warned against all non-essential travel overseas. That blanket warning has now been lifted for some countries, but remains in place for others.

As well as being a useful safety guide, Foreign Office warnings are important in the following scenarios:

• Package holiday firms should refund you if there's a Foreign Office warning. If a Foreign Office warning is put in place under the Package Travel Regulations, you SHOULD be able to get a refund within 14 days – even if the trip's not been cancelled – though always check first with the firm before you cancel. 
  
  This isn't the case with DIY trips where you've booked hotels and flights separately. In that situation you can still try asking the companies concerned for a refund, but you don't have the same legal protection or rights.
  
  
• If you travel when there is a Foreign Office warning, most travel insurance becomes totally invalid. This applies even for non-Covid issues as the whole policy is usually invalid. As there are some exceptions, do check.

Foreign Office advice doesn't exactly align with the traffic light system – and it can be the key factor when it comes to refunds.

Can I get a refund if I need to quarantine on arrival at my destination?

If the country you're going to insists you must quarantine for a certain amount of time on arrival, it's unlikely that airlines or hotels will offer a refund if they're open and running services. You also won't be able to use credit or debit card protection, because the service is still available.

However, if you've a package holiday, you MAY be able to get a refund from the travel firm. Where the destination country puts a mandatory quarantine in place for all arrivals, this could be considered a 'significant change' to your holiday. Package travel association ABTA says travel companies should offer an alternative or a full refund in those circumstances.

Quick questions

Holiday not cancelled? Your refund rights depend on rules in place at the time of your trip

Things are more complex if your holiday is running and your accommodation is open but you're unable to go due to lockdown restrictions either at your holiday destination or in your local area. The key to your rights here is the legal status of the restrictions which are stopping you travelling:

If travel's illegal under coronavirus rules, you're likely due a full refund

The good news is in this situation the CMA says you should expect a full refund. Its guidance states that consumers should get their money back if they're not provided with a service due to lockdown laws, or can't access what they paid for "because, for example, lockdown laws in the UK or abroad have made it illegal to receive or use the goods or service". This would apply both to not being able to leave their area or to get to an area where the accommodation is based.

It's important to note however that CMA guidance isn't a definitive interpretation of the law, and this is a new scenario which hasn't been tested – so while you can direct your holiday accommodation provider to the guidance, complain to the CMA or even pursue legal action, there are no guarantees.

If you're still allowed to travel but decide not to go, you've no automatic right to a refund

If you are still permitted to go on your holiday under official restrictions and guidance, it's important to understand you don't have any automatic right to a refund if you choose not to go.

If your holiday's still on or the hotel's still open, your refund rights will simply depend on the terms and conditions you agreed to when you booked. Of course, these may still let you cancel for free or move your trip, and some firms are also offering extra flexibility to all their customers at the moment due to coronavirus, so it's still worth checking what your options are.

Travel insurance WON'T cover cancellations if travel rules change