Is Spain on the hotel quarantine list for the U.K.?

Hotel quarantines: Full ‘red list’ of countries subject to new Covid-19 rules for UK arrivals

There have been growing concerns and a number of people emailing me asking me whether the U.K. are going to implement the hotel quarantine for Spain arrivals. The new measures in the U.K. have been announced by the media and the government that it will start an 11 day quarantine in a registered hotel with the charge going to the visitor to the U.K. on February 15th 2021. This quarantine is for tourists and U.K. residents and is compulsory for those who have travelled to one of the red list countries.

If you are travelling to the U.K. from Spain you are not required to stay in a hotel quarantine. However, you are required to undergo a quarantine and provide details to the U.K. government on arrival.

The announcement basically covers countries which were already subject to a strict travel ban due to concerns over the mutant strains which included South Africa, Portugal and South American nations. The Prime Minister announced that those returning from the red list countries would be met at the airport and escorted to the hotel or other government approved facility. This is a very similar process to Australia and New Zealand.

Spain is not on the red list of countries subject to the new Covid-19 rules for U.K. arrivals. However, you are still subject to a 10 day quarantine when returning from Spain, at the moment, which can be shortened by taking a private test. You are also required to present a negative PCR test no more than 72 hours old when arriving to the U.K. from Spain, and you also need to provide a negative PCR 72 hours before arriving in Spain.

Please also note that only Spanish residents or Spanish citizens are legally allowed to travel into Spain at the moment from the U.K.

The 33 countries that are required to stay in a hotel quarantine are as follows: Angola, Argentine, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Eswatini, French Guiana, Guyana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores), Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates (this includes Dubai), Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

This information is valid on 5th February 2021 but subject to change. Please seek advice before travelling back to the U.K.