What does Norway being on the UK’s green list mean for travellers?
Entry rules for travellers from Norway arriving into England will be eased, with significant changes being made to Covid testing and quarantine requirements. Here’s what the new rules mean for you.
The UK government announced late Wednesday that it would ease English entry rules for arrivals from Norway.
From Sunday 4am, Norway will be added to the UK’s green travel list, which will mean new rules for testing and quarantine when you arrive in England.
The announcement was made by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Twitter.
We're making some changes to our travel lists🚦
Firstly, we’re removing the quarantine requirement for fully jabbed travellers coming back from #France.
At the same time, we’re adding key destinations ☀️ Germany, Austria, and Norway to the Green List 🟢[1/3]
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 4, 2021
Below we’ll take a look at what the new rules mean for you.
When do the changes come into effect?
The changes come into effect in the early hours of Sunday morning, meaning any arrivals that land in England from Norway after 4am will be treated as passengers from a green country rather than an amber one.
READ MORE: UK adds Germany, Austria and Norway to green travel list
Any arrivals before this point will still be treated as travellers from an amber country even after the rules change. This means they will still have to fill out the passenger locator form, quarantine for ten days (five with test to release) and take mandatory tests on days two and eight after arrival.
What are the new rules?
The significant change is that arrivals from Norway will no longer be subject to any quarantine on arrival regardless of vaccination status.
In addition, passengers will no longer have to fork out for tests on day’s two and eight or the optional test to release scheme.
Passengers will still need to book a mandatory test for day two. Prices for day two tests start at around £20, but it's better to book one that costs a bit more from a reliable provider. Children under four wont be subject to testing on day two after arrival.
Arrivals will still need to fill out a passenger locator form prior to leaving, and a test will already have to have been booked to fill it out.
Travellers will also still need to test negative for Covid-19 within three days of travelling; this doesn’t apply to children under ten, however.
In Norway, the quickest and best option to get a Covid test with a fit to fly certificate is privately. This costs around £100. Some municipalities, but not many, will provide this for free, so speak to your GP first before shedding out for a test.
You can read our guide for how visitors in Norway can get a Covid test here. Also, you can take a look at the rules for green list countries on the UK government’s website here.
What if I am fully vaccinated
The rules for green countries apply regardless of vaccination. Even if you have had both jabs and can prove so with either a Norwegian, EU or NHS Covid certificate, you will need to take the mandatory tests and fill out the passenger locator form.
Does this affect England or the whole UK?
So far, the rules will just be applied to England because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are in charge of their travel lists and entry rules.
However, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland usually adopt the same changes as England, so it is expected that they will announce that Norway will be added to their green lists on Thursday.
What if I have to make a stopover?
Direct flights to the UK fly much less frequently these days, and many passengers are making stops either in Copenhagen or Amsterdam these days on their way back to the UK.
Unfortunately, if you make a stopover in a country on the amber list, then those are the rules that will apply to you.
This will mean, amongst other things, a ten-day quarantine spell if you aren’t fully vaccinated and mandatory day two and eight testing.
This is because that when you arrive in the UK, you need to follow the rules that apply to the highest risk country you have been in or passed through in the previous ten days.
This applies to all forms of transport.
In practice, this means that to benefit from the new travel rules between the UK and Norway, you should fly direct as popular routes with transfers in Amsterdam or Copenhagen mean you will be subject to tighter rules as Denmark and the Netherlands are on the UK’s amber list.
The exception to this is If you are fully jabbed against Covid-19.
Below you can check out the international travel rules for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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The UK government announced late Wednesday that it would ease English entry rules for arrivals from Norway.
From Sunday 4am, Norway will be added to the UK’s green travel list, which will mean new rules for testing and quarantine when you arrive in England.
The announcement was made by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Twitter.
We're making some changes to our travel lists🚦
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 4, 2021
Firstly, we’re removing the quarantine requirement for fully jabbed travellers coming back from #France.
At the same time, we’re adding key destinations ☀️ Germany, Austria, and Norway to the Green List 🟢[1/3]
Below we’ll take a look at what the new rules mean for you.
When do the changes come into effect?
The changes come into effect in the early hours of Sunday morning, meaning any arrivals that land in England from Norway after 4am will be treated as passengers from a green country rather than an amber one.
READ MORE: UK adds Germany, Austria and Norway to green travel list
Any arrivals before this point will still be treated as travellers from an amber country even after the rules change. This means they will still have to fill out the passenger locator form, quarantine for ten days (five with test to release) and take mandatory tests on days two and eight after arrival.
What are the new rules?
The significant change is that arrivals from Norway will no longer be subject to any quarantine on arrival regardless of vaccination status.
In addition, passengers will no longer have to fork out for tests on day’s two and eight or the optional test to release scheme.
Passengers will still need to book a mandatory test for day two. Prices for day two tests start at around £20, but it's better to book one that costs a bit more from a reliable provider. Children under four wont be subject to testing on day two after arrival.
Arrivals will still need to fill out a passenger locator form prior to leaving, and a test will already have to have been booked to fill it out.
Travellers will also still need to test negative for Covid-19 within three days of travelling; this doesn’t apply to children under ten, however.
In Norway, the quickest and best option to get a Covid test with a fit to fly certificate is privately. This costs around £100. Some municipalities, but not many, will provide this for free, so speak to your GP first before shedding out for a test.
You can read our guide for how visitors in Norway can get a Covid test here. Also, you can take a look at the rules for green list countries on the UK government’s website here.
What if I am fully vaccinated
The rules for green countries apply regardless of vaccination. Even if you have had both jabs and can prove so with either a Norwegian, EU or NHS Covid certificate, you will need to take the mandatory tests and fill out the passenger locator form.
Does this affect England or the whole UK?
So far, the rules will just be applied to England because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are in charge of their travel lists and entry rules.
However, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland usually adopt the same changes as England, so it is expected that they will announce that Norway will be added to their green lists on Thursday.
What if I have to make a stopover?
Direct flights to the UK fly much less frequently these days, and many passengers are making stops either in Copenhagen or Amsterdam these days on their way back to the UK.
Unfortunately, if you make a stopover in a country on the amber list, then those are the rules that will apply to you.
This will mean, amongst other things, a ten-day quarantine spell if you aren’t fully vaccinated and mandatory day two and eight testing.
This is because that when you arrive in the UK, you need to follow the rules that apply to the highest risk country you have been in or passed through in the previous ten days.
This applies to all forms of transport.
In practice, this means that to benefit from the new travel rules between the UK and Norway, you should fly direct as popular routes with transfers in Amsterdam or Copenhagen mean you will be subject to tighter rules as Denmark and the Netherlands are on the UK’s amber list.
The exception to this is If you are fully jabbed against Covid-19.
Below you can check out the international travel rules for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
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