Travelling From the UK: Will Spain be on the Green List?

The British Government has confirmed that Britons will be able to resume travelling, and that a traffic light system will be in place to determine which countries they are able to travel to with limited restrictions.

The world will be placed into three categories (red, amber, and green) and the question on everyone’s lips right now is ‘what level with Spain be?’ Here’s everything we know so far:

 

What is the UK Traffic Light System?

Details of the UK’s traffic light system for global travel were revealed on 9th April, when the Global Travel Taskforce confirmed that the factors that will be considered to determine which category each country will be placed into were: the infection rates, the number of vaccinations administered, the prevalence rates and the prominence of variants of concern.

Countries on the Green List

The green list is the list with the fewest restrictions on travellers. All travellers wil be required to take a covid test (type not confirmed) pre-departure, plus a PCR test two days after they arrive back in the UK. However they will not be required to self isolate on their return (unless their test result is positive, of course) meaning that they are free to resume their normal lives as soon as they return.

Counties on the Amber List

If you’re visiting a country on the amber list then you wil be required to take the same pre-departure test before you trip, but you will also need to self-isolate in your own home for ten days on your return to the UK. On days two and eight you will need to take PCR tests: positive results would extend this isolation period further.

Countries on the Red List

Finally, countries on the red list are countries with the most restrictions in place: effectively, it would be very difficult for a Briton to visit a red country for tourism purposes. If you do visit a red country then you will be required to pay for a managed stay in a quarantine hotel, pre-departure testing and mandatory PCR testing on both day two and day eight of your quarantine period. This would run into a sum of over £1,500 per person, which is prohibitively expensive, as well as incredibly inconvenient.

When will the UK Government Share More Information?

Which countries would fall into the green category were not revealed at this stage however, because the situation is so fast-moving that it was considered too soon to make these decisions.  As international travel from the UK is expected to resume on 17th May, we can expect to have a clearer understanding of what this will mean for countries that rely on tourism as a significant portion of their GDP and which attract huge numbers of British tourists, such as Spain, in the coming weeks.

This was confirmed in a statement by a spokesman from the Uk Department of Transport who said that “These decisions will be driven by the data and evidence nearer the time, which we cannot predict now. In advance of the resumption of non-essential international travel, we will set out our initial assessment of which countries will fall into which category. Thereafter countries will move between the red, amber and green lists depending on the data.

What Does this Mean For British Tourists Hoping to Visit Spain?

In short, don’t start booking your flights to Costa del Sol yet! Unfortunately, because Spain has seen a spike in their coronavirus case numbers since Easter, they are unlikely to fulfill the criteria set out by the UK government to be placed on the green list. Fernando Simón, the Government's Chief Epidemiologist believes that Spain is “now in the midst of a fourth wave of coronavirus”.

If you want to buy property in Spain, own property in Spain, or have essential paperwork to complete in order to complete your moving to Spain checklist then there are some exceptions to the rule that travel from the UK can’t resume until 17th May. Britons are able to travel to buy or sell property overseas, or to complete essential paperwork relating to their overseas properties.

 Are you in the process of moving to Spain or looking to make the right move to Spain for you? If you’re looking for estate agents in Southern Spain then why not get in touch ? Our locally based property experts are a font of local knowledge, and are perfectly placed to help you find the home of your dreams.