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12 countries announced on travel green list from May 17
The rules will come into force from May 17. - Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel are among 12 countries that have been put on the UK's green list for travel.
Grant Shapps, the secretary of state for transport, held a press conference on the latest rules around international travel to and from the UK on Friday evening.
Popular summer destinations including France and Spain are not yet included on the list, but considered 'amber' destinations. The transport secretary said the list would be reviewed every three weeks.
Grant Shapps, transport secretary - Credit: PA
The new travel rules will come into effect from May 17.
The list also consists of Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Iceland and the Faroe Islands and the Falklands.
This is in addition to the remote territories of the Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha.
Mr Shapps the country needed to be "necessarily cautious" and the list must be limited as the country took "tentative steps towards unlocking international travel".
The countries on the green list can be visited from May 17 and travellers will not have to self isolate on their return.
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Mr Shapps also announced that Turkey, the Maldives and Nepal have been added to the red list, and fans were advised not to travel for the UEFA Champions League final.
This means those returning from those countries after 4am on Wednesday will be required to stay in a quarantine hotel for 11 nights at a cost of £1,750 for solo travellers.
The DfT also announced that from May 17, people who have had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine will be able to use the NHS app to demonstrate their status.
People who do not have the app will be able to request an NHS letter from that date.
Border Force director general Paul Lincoln warned that wait times to enter the UK could take up to 15 times longer than usual.
He said: "There will continue to be additional health checks for every person crossing our border and inevitably that means it will take longer for most people to enter the UK.
"These measures have been put in place to protect the hard-fought gains and sacrifices that have been made by individuals and society in the UK, minimising the risk of importing variants while protecting the success of our vaccine rollout."
