UK Visa centres began to reopen from 1 June 2020, in a phased resumption of services. The second phase of visa centres are now expected to reopen from 22 June 2020. With increasing opposition to the 14-day quarantine requirement for all travellers to the UK, the first review is expected on 29 June 2020.
UK Visa centres are run by commercial partners, VFS Global and TLS Contact. All of these centres were closed in March 2020 amid the peak of the pandemic. As the pandemic slows down in parts of the world, the centres had their first stage reopening on 1 June 2020. The second stage of centres reopening is expected from 22 June 2020. The list of centres which are reopening from 22 June 2020 are:
- Azerbaijan
- Baku
- Brunei
- Bandar Seri Begawan
- Belgium
- Brussels
- Cambodia
- Phnom Penh
- China
- Changsha
- Chengdu
- Fuzhou
- Hangzhou
- Jinan
- Nanjing
- Shenyang
- Shenzhen
- Wuhan
- Xi'an
- Egypt
- Alexandria
- Cairo
- France
- Paris
- Gambia
- Banjul
- Japan
- Osaka
- Tokyo
- Jordan
- Amman
- Malaysia
- Kunming
- New Zealand
- Auckland
- Portugal
- Lisbon
- South Korea
- Seoul
- Spain
- Barcelona
- Madrid
- Serbia
- Belgrade
- Switzerland
- Geneva
- Thailand
- Chiang Mai
- Turkey:
- Adana
- Ankara
- Bursa
- Istanbul
- Izmir
- Gaziantep
- Tunisia
- Tunis
- Vietnam
- Danang
- Hanoi
- Ho Chi Minh City
14-day quarantine review
The 14-day quarantine requirement for all travellers to the UK came into effect earlier this week on 8 June 2020. The first review is now expected on 29 June 2020, when it is expected to be eased.
Major airlines which include British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair have launched legal against these measures citing concerns over its blanket application. The rules have also faced opposition from MPs across various political parties in the UK.
In the meantime, all travellers should continue to follow government rules until further notice. More information on this rule can be found here: Reopening of Visa Centres & the 14 Day Quarantine Rule