ISTFlyer

Most likely, the agent in GVA would be able to print all your boarding passes.
As you mentioned, you would need a COVID test and fill out the Passenger Locator Form as you mentioned.
Other than the transit security check in LHR, there shouldn't be any other COVID related checks for airside transfer passengers.
Swiss operates from LHR Terminal 2 and the gates are randomly assigned over there which means there are no fixed gates. Although, most likely from the A section rather than the B one.

Genevaflyer2017

thanks so much!

asnovici

Please forgive my ignorance, I am trying to understand if I need to pay some sort of "package fee" for testing if I have a landside overnight connection on the same ticket at LHR? However, its my understanding I am exempt from testing requirement after arrival to the UK, since I am only spending 12 hours at the hotel and continuing to another country? Its very confusing.

corporate-wage-slave

As things stand you only need to fill in a Passenger Locator Form and show your onwards flight details (and possibly hotel reservation) at the UK Border. It depends a bit on the countries involved, since arriving via a Red List country has other restrictions. See the UK Arrivals thread in the Coronavirus forum for more information. There are frequent changes in this area, there have been at least six significant changes in the last month.

DominicB

Oh - that's wonderful news. With great reluctance I have had to book an overnight at LHR flying TLV-LHR-ORD on May 14/15. If I have understood the above posts correctly, I don't need to buy the test kits for days 2 and 8 as I will be airborne again in 14 hours from the point I land, albeit I'm going to an airport hotel and back. That's a huge relief, and I'm glad not to have to spend a needless £200!

Yorkshire Pudding

The rules don't make any sense at all. I emailed the authorities a few weeks ago with details of my circumstances and got a very prompt response to my question. I am a British citizen living in the EU and needed to pop back to our second home in Surrey to pick various items that my wife needs for the impending birth of our second child. I would be in a private car for the whole journey, entering the UK via the Channel Tunnel, driving straight to our property in Surrey, picking up the items, and then driving straight back to the Channel Tunnel. I would take the PCR test 72 hours before entering the UK. My question was whether I needed to pay for the pre-booked day 2 and day 8 testing package, considering I would be in the UK all of three hours. They confirmed that I am allowed to enter for a short amount of time, but that I would still need to pay for the testing package as I am not transiting the UK, but entering and leaving via the same point.

So that would be £210 for something that I am never going to use, while someone is perfectly entitled to enter the UK via one airport, take public transport to another airport, or stay in a hotel for 12 hours, and they DON'T need to pay for the tests. It's an absolute swizz.

corporate-wage-slave

It depends a little bit when you asked that question. But as of Monday you could just pay for the first test, where they are sold separately, and not worry about day 8. See the main UK arrivals thread in the Coronavirus forum. It's correct you are not transiting, in a literal sense, but by slightly changing the cross Channel arrangements you could fall into the strict reading of the transit word. [That said, those who know the precise wording of the relevant Statutory Instrument, which presumably is up there with the Schleswig-Holstein Question, will know that there is a reference in there to transit being the sole reason for visiting the UK, where clearly it is not here].

tlott

Can someone confirm that I do not need to pre-purchase a Day 2 PCR test to enter LHR, transit landside to a hotel near LTN and depart the next morning (total time in UK landside <24h)?

Technically, I am not traveling "directly" to another port of departure because my itinerary would require an overnight hotel stay.

Thanks!

KARFA

yes that’s fine. If you are planning to be in the Uk less than 2 days you do not need to but any day 2/8 test package.

RGS5526

Is there anything in the regulations that would require the traveller to remain in and actually depart from the second port? Or is one permitted to make a purposeless journey to somewhere else?

KARFA

Since you are supposed to to self isolating if not proceeding to your departure port I don’t see any possibility of wanderings whilst transiting the UK.