H1 - Uk Red, Amber, Green List Rules: Which List Does Kuwait Belong On?

In order to contain the spread of coronavirus within its borders, the United Kingdom has implemented a color-coded system to identify areas with high rates of COVID-19 infection and set travel restrictions according to the level of risk. Countries are sorted into ‘green’, ‘amber’, and ‘red’ lists that determine the requirements that passengers arriving from these territories need to meet to enter the UK.

This guide aims to help Kuwaiti travelers decide which steps they need to take to travel to the United Kingdom during the COVID pandemic, including whether they will need to apply for a UK visa from Kuwait in advance.

H2 -Kuwait is Currently Considered an Amber Country by the UK

As of writing, Kuwait is on the UK’s amber list. All civilian passengers aged 11 and over who are flying to the United Kingdom from Kuwait, or who have been in Kuwait within the past 10 days, are required to:

• Have a negative antigen, LAMP, nucleic acid, or PCR COVID-19 test result taken a maximum of 3 days before departure of the last direct flight to the United Kingdom. The test result must be in English, French, or Spanish, include the contact details of the issuing laboratory, and match the name, date of birth, and age of the passenger as it is displayed on their passport.
• Complete an online passenger locator form.
• Arrange and pay for 2 COVID tests to be taken on the second and eighth day after arrival in the UK.

Travelers from Kuwait arriving in England are required to quarantine in their accommodation for up to 10 days after arrival, However, from July 19th, 2021, Kuwaitis do not need to quarantine or take a test on day 8 of their stay if they present a vaccine certificate showing they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Kuwaitis arriving in Scotland, at either Aberdeen (ABZ), Edinburgh (EDI), Glasgow (GLA), Glasgow Prestwick (PIK), or Inverness (INV) airports, must have a hotel quarantine package for 11 nights. This must be booked online in advance of arrival.

The British embassy in Kuwait continues to issue UK visas and is accepting applications for work and study visas, and other visas types. However, if you are a Kuwaiti passport holder only planning a short stay in the UK, you do not need a visa to enter the United Kingdom. You will, however, need to obtain an approved UK visa waiver online.

H2 - What Other Countries Are on the Amber List?

In addition to passengers arriving from Kuwait, the rules outlined above also apply to travelers arriving in the UK from any of the following countries and territories:

• Akrotiri and Dhekelia
• Albania
• Algeria
• Andorra
• Armenia
• Aruba
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• The Bahamas
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bhutan
• Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• China
• Comoros
• Congo
• Cook Islands, Tokelau and Niue
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Curaçao
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic (Czechia)
• Denmark
• Djibouti
• El Salvador
• Equatorial Guinea
• Estonia
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• French Polynesia
• Gabon
• Germany
• Ghana
• Gambia
• Georgia
• Greece
• Greenland
• Guadeloupe
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kiribati
• Kosovo
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Liberia
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macao
• Madagascar
• Malaysia
• Mali
• Marshall Islands
• Martinique
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Mayotte
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Myanmar
• Nauru
• Netherlands
• New Caledonia
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Nigeria
• North Korea
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Palestinian Territories
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Poland
• Portugal (including the Azores)
• Réunion
• Romania
• Russia
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Saudi Arabia
• Senegal
• Serbia
• Sierra Leone
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• South Korea
• South Sudan
• Spain (including the Canary Islands)
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Maarten
• St Martin and St Barthélemy
• St Pierre and Miquelon
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Tajikistan
• Thailand
• Timor-Leste
• Togo
• Tonga
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Ukraine
• United States (USA)
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Vietnam
• Wallis and Futuna
• Western Sahara
• Yemen

Therefore, if a citizen of Kuwait is arriving in the UK from any territory included on this list, they will also need to meet the amber list travel requirements.

H2 - Countries on the UK’s Green List

The green list for the UK outlines the counties which have largely contained the spread of COVID-19 and are therefore considered low-risk. Please note that countries marked as ‘Green watchlist’ are at risk of moving from green to amber:

• Anguilla (Green watchlist)
• Antarctica/British Antarctic Territory (Green watchlist)
• Antigua and Barbuda  (Green watchlist)
• Balearic islands (Green watchlist)
• Barbados (Green watchlist)
• Bermuda (Green watchlist)
• British Indian Ocean Territory (Green watchlist)
• British Virgin Islands (Green watchlist)
• Brunei
• Cayman Islands (Green watchlist)
• Dominica (Green watchlist)
• Falkland Islands         
• Faroe Islands 
• Gibraltar         
• Grenada (Green watchlist)
• Iceland
• Israel and Jerusalem  (Green watchlist)
• Madeira (Green watchlist)
• Malta  
• Montserrat (Green watchlist)
• New Zealand  
• Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands (Green watchlist)
• Singapore       
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands      
• St Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha           
• Turks and Caicos Islands (Green watchlist)

Passengers who have only been in these territories within the past 10 days still need to have a negative COVID test result taken before departure, and take an additional test within 2 days of their arrival. However, they do not need to quarantine unless the result is positive.

H2 - What Countries Are on the Red List for the UK?

Passengers who have been in any of the following ‘red list’ countries within the previous 10 days are currently only permitted to enter the United Kingdom if they are a British or Irish national, or have a residence permit for the UK.:

• Afghanistan
• Angola
• Argentina
• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Burundi
• Cape Verde
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• Eritrea
• Eswatini
• Ethiopia
• French Guiana
• Guyana
• Haiti
• India
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Maldives
• Mongolia
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Nepal
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Qatar
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• Sudan
• Suriname
• Tanzania
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Uganda
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe