The UK Moves India from Red to Amber List: Hotel Quarantine no Longer Required

The UK government has announced that from 8th August 2021, India will no longer be a Red list country and will be placed on the Amber list. This means greater ease of travelling and lesser travel restrictions for international students travelling to the UK from India.

Students arriving in the UK can now straight away go to their university or chosen private accommodation and complete a 10-day quarantine there instead of at a managed quarantined hotel as previously required.

• By moving India to the Amber list, students from India will no longer be required to stay at a quarantine hotel and save £1,750 on quarantine costs.
• Indian students will need to take a Covid-19 test in the three days before travelling to England.
• After arrival in the UK, a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 is required.
• It is important to note that students who choose to pay for a private Covid-19 test on day 5 of the quarantine may end their quarantine early if the result is negative under the voluntary Test to Release scheme.

This is great news as Indian students can now confidently go to the UK without worrying about additional quarantine costs. Moreover, all international students in the UK have access to vaccination in the UK and can register with a GP or on the NHS website to get themselves vaccinated against Covid-19.

Study in the UK

You can still submit your UK university application for September 2021 entry. Book a free consultation with SI-UK India today to get started.

Travel Update to UK

• Countries which will be added to the green list - Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway.
• Countries which will be added to the amber list - India, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.

Traffic Light Travel to the UK

• Red list: Hotel-quarantine for 10 days & pre-departure test, plus PCR test on day 2 and day 8.
• Amber list: Home-quarantine for 10 days & pre-departure test, plus PCR test on day 2 and 8. "Test to release" option on day 5. Different rules apply for fully vaccinated people arriving from EU countries and the US.
• Green list: Pre-departure test & PCR test on or before day 2.

Anyone arriving from an Amber country in the UK who is fully vaccinated, or vaccinated with a vaccine authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Europe, Swissmedic for Switzerland, or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the USA, will be exempt from home quarantine. 

Visit Visas to travel to the UK from India are open in addition to the previously available long-term visas.

For more on the latest UK and Coronavirus(Covid-19) information or to apply to study in the UK, arrange your free consultation and speak to an SI-UK India consultant today.

Back to news