Countries taken off the red list

South Africa, Mexico and Thailand are among 47 countries coming off the international travel red list from 11 October

The changes - agreed on a four nation basis – leave a smaller red list consisting of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Venezuela in place to protect public health.

This is the first review of countries since the traffic light system ended on 4 October.

In addition, vaccine certificates from more countries will be recognised to allow quarantine-free travel to Scotland.

Certificates from a further 37 countries will be recognised, as well as those issued under the United Nations vaccination programme.

An ongoing four nations process will expand the policy to additional countries over coming weeks, where approved vaccines are administered and certificates meet the required standards.

Transport Minister Graeme Dey said:

“This change to travel restrictions recognises the success of the Scottish Government’s vaccination programme.

“It’s important we continue to exercise caution which is why a red list of countries will be retained, carefully monitored and updated following a review at regular intervals.  If evidence and circumstances change, we will not hesitate to reintroduce restrictions to protect public health in Scotland.

“But the steps we are seeing now pave the way for growth in the travel and tourism sector who we have listened very carefully to and engaged with widely on throughout this difficult period.”

Background

Countries are now either classified as red or not – with the previous amber level restrictions the default for non-red territories and destinations.

Pre-departure tests for fully vaccinated travellers from non-red countries have been removed. Travellers from non-red list countries who have been fully vaccinated in a country that meets recognised standards of certifications will no longer be required to provide evidence of a negative test result before they can travel to Scotland, and do not have to isolate on arrival. 

For practical purposes, Scotland will also align with the UK post-arrival testing regime for eligible vaccinated travellers. Details for the UK are still being finalised and we will continue to engage with the UK Government ahead of confirmation as soon as possible.

The list of 47 countries is:

• Cape Verde
• Brazil
• Eritrea
• Eswatini
• French Guiana
• Georgia
• Indonesia
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mexico
• Myanmar
• Namibia
• Nepal
• Paraguay
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• Uruguay
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Afghanistan
• Angola
• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Burundi
• Chile
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Ethiopia
• Guyana
• La Reunion
• Mayotte
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Mozambique
• Philippines
• Somalia
• Suriname
• Thailand