sydneyflyer1

Apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere - I have just booked flights with BA to Corfu for the beginning of June (due to cancellation of Easyjet flights today!) & have realised that I’m now landing 73 hours after my PCR test will be done.

How strict is the 72 hour rule? I’m flying on the Friday with an arrival time of 3.30pm (local) and have the test booked for the previous Tuesday at 1.10pm. Should I move the test or is the 72 hours actually 3 days?

KARFA

I assume the issue is you need the test for entry in to Corfu? For Greece the requirement listed in timatic is:

So you will have to assume any test done more than 72 hours before arrival may not be accepted. BA may well deny boarding if your test is not taken within 72 hours of arrival. If I were you I would move the test.

sydneyflyer1

Thanks, looks like I should move the test then. If I move the test by a couple of hours but then my flight is delayed does this mean I could be denied boarding? It feels like a bit of a minefield to make sure I leave enough time for the rest results to come through but just time it right in case of a delay!

stewlevine

I have a similar question about the 72 hour rule for testing for transit at Heathrow. We will be traveling DFW-LHR-ATH in July. Our family will be past two weeks of the 2nd does of the Pfizer vaccine by travel time, so I know we can show our CDC vaccine cards in Athens, my question is when does the clock start for having the PCR test that the UK currently requires. Is it 72 hours before wheels up in Dallas (how Hawaii has been tracking things) or 72 hours before arrival in London? The Heathrow site currently states 3 days before traveling to England, which leaves plenty of room for interpretation. We have several weeks before traveling and won’t be able to book our rapid PCR tests in Dallas until much closer to departure, but I do want to avoid a hiccup in London.
I know that the return requirement to the US is 3 calendar days before departure, so a PCR test within that window in Greece would satisfy the UK requirements.

mcgahat

This is from the UK site, scheduled departure of the actual flight to the UK is what seems to matter.

"You must take the test in the 3 days before the service on which you will arrive in England departs."

Also, you say PCR for transit to in the UK but the following tests are approved.

"This could include tests such as:

• a nucleic acid test, including a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or derivative technologies, including loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) tests
• an antigen test, such as a test from a lateral flow device"

corporate-wage-slave

Yes it is three days, and it doesn't have to be PCR, but there is a lot more information in the UK Arrivals thread in the Coronavirus forum, including the experiences of other travellers.

Tinseltown

Is it possible for you to schedule the test 65 hours in advance? You should be able to get the test results within 48 hours (likely less), depending on provider.

sydneyflyer1

I don’t think that would work - 65 hours prior would be 8.30pm and Boots (who I have booked the test with) finish their appointments at lunchtime - presumably to get the samples to the lab on time. I live in a rural area of the UK so have very limited options.

I’ve had conflicting info from BA on this - one source (BA Twitter) has said that it’s 3 days rather than a hard 72 hours so I should be fine but when I phoned BA this morning they couldn’t confirm the details. They said I had to contact the country (Greece) government to obtain that information and said there was a likelihood that I would be denied boarding even though the test would be taken only 20 minutes outside the 72 hour window.

I have now managed to get the last Boots appointment of the day which is 40 minutes later than my original appointment. This means that my test will now be 71 hours & 40 minutes before my scheduled arrival so should be okay (& I should receive my results 48 hours after the test time).

What’s particularly annoying is that my husband is fine as he has been double vaccinated so doesn’t need a test. I have also been double vaccinated but my 2nd vaccine was 12 days before travel so doesn’t qualify. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well on the day - I retired from work 2 weeks ago as part of a plan to spend the next couple of years travelling whilst we can (my husband has been diagnosed with MS and we want to travel whilst we can without too many complications).

sydneyflyer1

When I spoke to BA this morning they said the entry requirements to the UK is 3 days, not 72 hours so that gives more flexibility. Therefore, if you’re due to land in the UK on 4th June (for example) you can take the test at any point on 1st June,

stewlevine

Sounds like they told you the countdown is based on arrival. So, since we land on Friday July 2, even though we leave on Thursday July 1; it sounds as though we need to have our test in the US no earlier than Tuesday June 29.

Tobias-UK

For UK arrivals, the test should be taken within the 3 days prior to departure of your sector to the UK - if your direct flight departs the US on Thursday, your COVID test can be taken from Monday notwithstanding your flight only arrives in the UK on the Friday.

Reetmafreen

From what I’ve been able to determine, on a test taken for arrival into the UK, there is no need for the test result to show a passport number? Is this indeed the case here? I’m having a devil of a time finding a testing facility here in North San Diego that does note a passport number on the test results.

TIA

KARFA

Yes it doesn’t appear you need a passport number on it

Reetmafreen

Thank you Karfa. I also note the reference to 3 days before, rather than 72hrs. My flight is on a Wed evening, so was planning on taking the test first thing Monday morning. Should things go pear shaped and I can’t travel until the following day, then a Thursday departure still falls within this window.