If you are to travel in the coming days, you may be confused about what you should be doing before and after travelling back and forth to the UK. Well, how could you not be! It has changed a lot and keeps getting more and more complicated.
We tried to make it a bit easier for you by summarising the rules as of the 27th of February as we understand them.
What to do if I am going out of the UK?
This very much depends on where you are going. Each country of destination has its own rules and you have to check their official websites to know what to do. The British Government has also listed some advice for travellers per country.
However, it is most likely that you will be required to get a PCR Test at least three days before you start your journey. For example, if you travel on Friday, you must take a test on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
You will then need to present a valid certificate of your negative test before you board to travel. We advise you to book a PCR test as soon as you know about your travel dates to be sure to get the certificate on the day. See our list of COVID-19 PCR testing centres providing fit-to-fly certificates, within 24hrs or less.
What to do if I am travelling back to the UK?
You will have to get tested 3 to 4 times in total. Here is how.
Before travel
First, you should check if the country you are coming from is on the banned travel list.
If you will not be coming back from a country that is on the banned travel list
1- Get tested abroad
You will need to take a test 3 days before your final departure point to England and provide a certificate of your negative result (printed or in an e-mail) at the border. So check before leaving the UK if you will be able to get tested in the country you are travelling from.
You can find more explanation on travel rules here.
2- Provide your contact details
You have to fill this locator form. It will be requested at the border.
3- Book your Testing home kits on the Government website
You can only buy those tests through this link that you will find on the British Government website. You will need to report the order number on the locator form.
If you will be coming back from a country that is on the banned travel list
In addition to what you need to do if you will not be coming back from a country on the red list, you must book a 10 days quarantine in a hotel.
1 – book a managed quarantine hotel where you will quarantine.
Your quarantine package will include your managed quarantine hotel, quarantine transport, and your travel test package for COVID-19 tests on day 2 and day 8 of quarantine. You can book the whole package following this link.
2 – complete a passenger locator form
You must provide the details of where you will quarantine when you arrive and the package booking reference number in your passenger locator form.
After travel
If you will not be coming back from a country that is on the banned travel list
From 15 February onwards, everyone allowed to enter England from outside the Common Travel Area (Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) must:
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- quarantine for 10 days
- take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test on day 2 and day 8 of quarantining
- follow the national lockdown rules
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If you test positive, please see the instructions on the government website.
If you will be coming back from a country that is on the banned travel list
In addition to what you need to do if you are not coming from a country on the red list, you must quarantine for 10 days in the hotel that you booked before travel.
Ending your quarantine early: Test to Release
If you are not coming from a country that is on the banned travel list
You can still use the Test to Release for the international travel scheme. The scheme lets you choose to pay for a private COVID-19 test. If the result is negative, you can stop quarantining.
You cannot take a test until you have been in England for 5 full days.
The scheme is voluntary and applies to those quarantining in England only. Testing to release does not exempt you from being tested on day 2 and 8.
If you are coming from a country that is on the banned travel list
You cannot use the Test to Release scheme if you have been in or through any country that is on the travel ban red list in the 10 days before you arrive in England.
