- Vaccinated travellers will still have to fill in and submit an online passenger locator form no more than 48 hours before arriving, even if they are just passing through the UK.
- This can be an LFT or PCR test and must have been taken two days before departure for the UK.
- If you test positive, you must follow the rules in the country you’re in, and not travel onwards to the UK.
For some visitors to the United Kingdom, the Covid testing restrictions have been loosened. The present system, according to Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps, has “outlived its usefulness” given that the Omicron variant is “widespread and universal”, as reported by BBC.
Latest changes
The new guidelines apply to fully vaccinated travellers (two doses) and passengers under the age of 18, who will no longer be required to complete a pre-departure test two days before flying.
They’ll still have to take a PCR test when they arrive, but they won’t have to self-isolate while waiting for the results.
They will be able to take a cheaper lateral flow test (LFT) instead of a PCR test starting at 04:00 GMT on Sunday, January 9th.
The tests must be purchased from a commercial testing company; free NHS tests are not acceptable.
They must self-isolate and take an NHS PCR test to confirm the result if the post-arrival LFT is positive.
Even if they are only travelling through the UK, vaccinated travellers must fill up and submit an online passenger location form no later than 48 hours before arrival.
Travel rules
The government’s announcement has no bearing on the travel requirements for all other non-vaccinated travellers:
Before you leave: Unvaccinated visitors to the UK must present proof of a negative test if they are over the age of 12.
This can be an LFT or PCR test, and it must have been completed two days prior to departure for the United Kingdom.
For this, you’ll need to find a private test provider; free NHS tests would not suffice.
The test can be done in the nation where you begin your journey or in a place along the way to the United Kingdom.
If you test positive, you must respect the rules of the nation in which you are currently located and not come to the United Kingdom.
You have two days after landing in the UK to take another test, which must be a PCR.
This must be purchased privately from a government-approved list of providers before you fly.
You must self-isolate while you wait for the results, but you can quit if your test is negative.
These tests are required for everyone aged five and up (11 and up in Scotland).
They must also complete and submit an online passenger locator form at least 48 hours prior to their arrival.
Travellers from Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man are exempt from the testing requirements unless they have spent the previous 10 days in another nation.
Validating test results
Whether you’re in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, you can download digital Covid passes that display your immunisation status to your phone.
The results of the test can be printed, emailed, or texted to you on your phone. They must be written in one of three languages: English, French, or Spanish.
The EU Digital Covid Certificate can be used by residents of the European Union to show their immunisation status or test results.
Rules of other countries
Any other countries you visit will require you to consult the UK Foreign Office website for entrance procedures. These are subject to rapid modification.
Covid passes, which are granted in the UK, can be used to demonstrate proof of vaccination elsewhere in the EU, either online or as a printed download (as long as it is dated later than 1 November 2021). Some countries imposed travel restrictions after the Omicron version was discovered.
Travellers from the United Kingdom who are not completely vaccinated may be denied entry to Germany, and anyone travelling to France from the United Kingdom must have a “compelling reason” unless they are French nationals or residents.
Did you subscribe to our newsletter?
It’s free! Click here to subscribe!
Source: BBC
