Where Can UK Scuba Divers Travel Now That Restrictions Have Been Eased?
The UK Government this week formally announced the easing of travel restrictions to many countries for ‘fully-vaccinated’ travellers. The ‘traffic light’ system has been scrapped and, from Monday 11 October, there will be just a small ‘Red List’ of seven countries to which travel is not advised, and which require a mandatory, and very expensive, 10-day quarantine upon return. All other destinations may be visited with fewer testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers, with no quarantine restrictions upon return.
Just because a country has been moved off the Red List, however, does not mean that UK citizens will be able to travel there. Some countries remain closed to all visitors, others consider the UK to be a high risk country and have selectively banned UK tourists from entering. To help divers who are wanting to get away sooner rather than later, here’s a list of the current entry requirements for the Top 25 scuba diving destinations from our 2020 DIVE Travel Awards, plus a few tips for travelling abroad.
Advice and Tips
- ‘Fully Vaccinated’ means you have had two jabs of an approved vaccine a minimum of 14 days prior to travel. Approved vaccines for travel to the UK are currently Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, Janssen. Fully vaccinated travellers with proof of vaccination may, in some countries, be exempted from PCR testing.
- ‘Proof of Vaccination’ must be an approved certification with a linked QR code, the digital version of which comes in the form of the NHS Covid Pass in England and Wales, the COVID Status app in Scotland or the NI COVID certification service in Northern Ireland. You can also request a paper version which takes 4-5 working days to arrive. With a small handful of exceptions, the card handed out when you get jabbed is not…