Last edit by: NewbieRunner
Mod note on thread engagement:
A reminder that this thread is about the self-isolation requirements for UK arrivals.
It is a help/Information resource for those travelling or returning to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from outside the UK. Let's concentrate on news, questions and answers that are relevant and on-topic and stay away from speculations about the spread of the virus, the performance of politicians and other topics which are more suitable for OMNI.
Please stay within these requirements to avoid issues.
A reminder that this thread is about the self-isolation requirements for UK arrivals.
It is a help/Information resource for those travelling or returning to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from outside the UK. Let's concentrate on news, questions and answers that are relevant and on-topic and stay away from speculations about the spread of the virus, the performance of politicians and other topics which are more suitable for OMNI.
Please stay within these requirements to avoid issues.
LATEST UPDATES
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-t...virus-covid-19
18 March travel to the UK changes
If you will arrive in the UK from abroad after 4am, Friday 18 March, you do not need to:
- take any COVID-19 tests – before you travel or after you arrive
- fill in a UK passenger locator form before you travel
This will apply whether you are vaccinated or not.
You also will not need to quarantine when you arrive, in line with current rules.
Other countries still have COVID-19 entry rules in place. You should check travel advice before you travel.
If you will arrive in England before 4am, 18 March, you must follow the current rules as set out in this guidance.
*****
The following historical information is retained for the time being.
The Passenger Locator Form for passengers arriving into the UK can be found here:
https://visas-immigration.service.go...r-locator-form
This can only be completed once you are within 48 hours of arrival in the UK.
Exemption list from quarantine requirements - specific details:
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...k-border-rules
England
Statutory instrument for individual passengers arriving in to England: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/582/contents (this html version is updated, but may not have the very latest updates for Statutory Instruments released in the last few days)
Test to release for England only from 15 December, see post 4776 https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32841066-post4776.html
Statutory instrument for transport providers http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2.../contents/made
Scotland
Statutory instrument for individual passengers arriving in to Scotland: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2020/169/contents (this html version is updated)
Wales
Statutory instrument for individual passengers arriving in to Wales: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2020/574/contents (this html version is updated) &
Welsh language version: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2...0200574_we.pdf
Northern Ireland
Statutory instrument https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2021/99/contents (this html version is updated)
PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR QUICK RELEASE FROM SELF-ISOLATION (based on November 28th updates)
[This section has been moved lower down in the wiki post following the change in self-isolation rule on 7th January 2022[
Any PCR test noted as a UK Government Day 2 test will be accepted for release from self isolation as soon as you get the negative result. If it is any other PCR test (eg "Fit to Fly") and not advertised specifically as a Day 2 test then it won't be valid.
This means that you can:[list]
- Book a suitable Day 2 PCR test before you travel and use the booking reference for the test on the PLF (Passenger Locator Form).
- On your day of arrival go to your scheduled test.
- Proceed to you place of self-isolation and await the result, which will hopefully be same / next day.
Alternatively:- Book any Day 2 PCR test before you travel even if you do not intend to use this test, and use the booking reference for the test on the PLF to ensure entry to the UK.
- Note that you are not strictly required to have a PCR booking before arrival, but your carrier might not know that so you run the risk of being denied boarding
- On your day of arrival (or before end of Day 2) go to a walk-in test centre and take a different test to the one you booked.
- Proceed to you place of self-isolation and await the result, which will hopefully be same / next day.
If you are leaving the UK before the end of day 2 then you do not need to take a test, but are required to self-isolate for the duration of your trip (since you do not have a negative result). Also, if you are self-isolating while waiting for a result (and hence have not been informed of a positive result and need to isolate) you may travel to leave the country.
If you take a test and it is positive for any variant of COVID you will be required to isolate for 10 days from the date of the test.
Whether you take a test or not you may be contacted by the UK Test and Trace system at any time if it becomes apparent that you have been in contact with another case. This is very unlikely to happen before day 3 if it is in relation to your flight to UK. Depending on the suspected / identified variant for that case and if you are fully-vaccinated by an accepted programme (see below for links to what this means and valid exemptions) :- Omnicron or not fully-vaccinated: You will be required to isolated for 10 days, including a bar on travel to leave the country. A negative Day 2 test does not release you from this requirement.
- Other and fully vaccinated : You will not be required to isolate.
- Book any Day 2 PCR test before you travel even if you do not intend to use this test, and use the booking reference for the test on the PLF to ensure entry to the UK.
- Proceed to you place of self-isolation and await the result, which will hopefully be same / next day.
- On your day of arrival go to your scheduled test.
Test Providers for Day 2/8 tests & Day 5 Test to release
This section is for FTers to post their experience with specific providers (good or bad). Keep it brief and to the point. Please mention how the service is provided and your FT name.
DNA Workplace - Postal - Test kits arrived with me on time. Royal Mail slow for return. 5+ days for Day 2 result. #DaveS
DNA Workplace - Postal - Test kits both arrived on time, video of tests required, results by late evening Day 3 and Day 9. #TSE
ExpressTest Gatwick - Drive through - Tested early at 1000 a few times for TTR. Results came through in evening. #DaveS
NowTest - Postal - Day 2 kit arrived on time, day 8 did not. Will update with result arrival times when applicable. #wilsnunn
Collinson - Postal - Day 5 Test to Release kit arrived in time. Results and release by end of day 6. #tjcxx
CTM - Postal - Days 2/8 kits arrived together in time. Both sent results 2 days after posting. #tjcxx
Qured (Oncologica) - Postal -Day 2/8 kits arrived late. Results 3+ days from posting. #Gagravarr
Qured (Oncologica) - Postal - Day 2/8 kits arrived on time. Day 2 result on Day 5 and Day 8 result on Day 10 - happy customer! #EddLegll
Qured (Ocnologica) - Postal - Day 2/8 kits arrived on time. Day 2 result on Day 5 (after bedtime; ironically after my TTR result). #KSVVZ2015
Anglia DNA - Postal - Day 2/8 kits arrived early. (Both were labelled Day2). Results on Day 4 and Day 9. Cheapest on the list at the time, and good service/result. #tjcxx
Qured - Pre-flight test booked and bought through BA. Very efficient service. Highly recommended. #lhrsfo
Randox - Days 2 and 8. Booked two days before return, using BA discount. Kits already arrived on return. Slightly confusing instructions but manageable. Used Randox dropbox and results next day. Good. #lhrsfo
Randox - Day 2 (also used as pre departure test for a London to Milan flight). Used a drop box and results arrived at midnight the next day. #11101
Randox - Day 2 test centre - 2h30 queues outside the test centre in Waterloo. Results of antigen arrived 45 minutes later. #11101
Collinson - Test to Release at LHR T2. Good trip out! Very efficient service and well organised. Used BA discount. Results by end of day. Excellent. #lhrsfo
DAM - Test to Release in Fulham (they have many locations) - the cheapest fast turnaround TTR we have found. They promise 24 hours but in reality me, my wife, and my son (on different days) have received results inside of 12 hours. Very efficient staff as well. Princes outside of Central London as low as 99 GBP. Fulham is 129 GBP. #KSVVZ2015
Boots/Source Bioscience - days 2&8. Both packs sent in the same mail, waiting at the isolation address. Dropped off at postbox at 4pm, result back next day between 4 and 5 pm, very effective. Bought from Boots, £160, but same package sold directly bu Source Bioscience is just £120. Aaargh! Instructions said nasal and throat swabs, did only nasal and marked accordingly, no issues. #WilcoRoger
Collinsons/Stansted walkin TTR - test taken 1:30 pm, email with results 10:10 pm same day If the BA20OFF doesn't work (didn't work for us) there's another discount on the airport's site #WilcoRoger
Ordered Day-2 kit from Chronomics a week before our return for £18.99. Duly dispatched day we were returning to UK, so arrived on day following return. Reasonably simple process to do test and upload -ve result picture. Not sure where +ve result would have led to... #EsherFlyer
Hale Clinic testing centre (near Oxford Circus) - While not the least expensive, appoint schedules are accurate and results returned in promised timeframe. I've used the clinic for Day 2 tests (twice) and antigen test for US (once). I would def utilize again. #ecaarch
Halo at T5 (Sofitel) - Day 2 PCR spit test. Took the test 7pm, results arrived 7am the next day. No queues but a slightly awkward process to follow.
Useful data sources:
New cases per 100k - 7 days: https://covid19.who.int/table
New tests per 1000 - 7 days: https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-testing
Vaccination doses per 100: https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
Sequenced samples uploaded to GISAID: https://www.gisaid.org/index.php?id=208
NHS Track & Trace data (positivity rates for arriving passengers are published every three weeks, so if you can't find the data in the current release it will be in one of the previous two) https://www.gov.uk/government/collec...weekly-reports https://assets.publishing.service.go...ut_week_50.ods
UK daily COVID data https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/?_ga...827.1594116739
Risk assessment methodology to inform international travel traffic light system
Data informing international travel traffic-light risk assessments
Testing Terminology
Notes which may assist with understanding which tests to use and with "reuse" of UK tests for other countries regulations:
- LFT: Lateral Flow Test - A rapid antigen test using nasal / throat swab typically performed by the traveler at home, hotel, etc using simple disposable device. Usually tests the "outer shell" of the nucleus (which causes the symptoms and is reasonably stable across variants) and not the "spikes" (which allow new variants to invade more easily), so gives a positive result for many variants. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-...d_antigen_test)
- PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction - A laboratory based test which looks at the nucleus of the virus to determine which specific variant it is. After a positive LFT test ("I have some form of COVID") a PCR test ("You have the Gamma variant") allows identification and tracking of new variants to see if they are likely to become a "variant of concern". (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymerase_chain_reaction)
- NAAT: Nucleic Acid Amplification Test - A general class of laboratory based tests which includes PCR, LAMP, etc tests. (See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...b/naats.html)
UK arrivals - pre-departure, quarantine and post-arrival [currently no requirements]
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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This aspect is exactly how it works now. It is clear that the test type changes, but I've not seen anything that suggests the timescales change. So yes you can take your test as soon as you arrive in the UK, including at the airport if you wish, 10 minutes after clearing the UK Border. So with a typical 24 hour delay in returning test, plus the time it takes to get home or to your hotel, it may well amount to being released from self isolation the day after arrival. This isn't an atypical outcome now, in terms of PCR turnaround times.
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 373
I doubt reusing codes is a good idea. But as things stand you need a test which is marketed for Day2 in order to get a PLF booking reference. No reference no PLF. But we would need to see the legislative wording to see if the release from self isolation is directly tied to the PLF booking reference test or not. So we will again have to wait for the SI to be released to be sure about that. In addition it may be that regardless of wording, NHST&T will take their own view about this since they will be operating off the contents of the PLF.
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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Well that's not something I ever recommended, it doesn't look good to me. But in any event, these were people who didn't take the test for the simple reason they left the country first, and well before any enforcement activity was in scope. In your case a test is required, and re-using a test number looks even worse, even if it can be explained. But that's a side show, since (a) I'm fairly sure same day PCR testing for day 2 will expand and (b) we need to see whether relying on (potentially) 2 PCR tests will do the trick or not.
Join Date: Mar 2016
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Most in this thread are suggesting that PCR test results can be obtained at the soonest within 24hrs.
Are there no facilities in Heathrow or London that offer 3-6hr turn around time?
Are there no facilities in Heathrow or London that offer 3-6hr turn around time?
Join Date: Sep 2012
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The hope is that this will change soon, but there is zero indication from the government this is under consideration at this point.
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 373
It should rather be the providers whose considerations we should take into account. It is not the government, after all, who decides how quickly private providers should produce results.
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 597
Why does this matter? The 3-hour tests are COVID PCR tests. They have a CPT Test Reference number usable for the PLF. If somehow this doesn't work for the PLF, and we have no data that it won't, I presume everyone will have to buy a second PCR test to meet the PLF requirement and use the first, fast test to meet the rule for negative COVID PCR testing to legally stop self-isolation.
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Why does this matter? The 3-hour tests are COVID PCR tests. They have a CPT Test Reference number usable for the PLF. If somehow this doesn't work for the PLF, and we have no data that it won't, I presume everyone will have to buy a second PCR test to meet the PLF requirement and use the first, fast test to meet the rule for negative COVID PCR testing to legally stop self-isolation.
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Thank you for the clarification.
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If past SIs are anything to go by, the test that you would have to take to be allowed to end self-isolation in case of negative result would have to be a test satisfying the definition of a day 2 test. Just any PCR test would not satisfy that requirement. It might conceivably be within the spirit of the legislation up to a point (as long as you also take a 'proper' day 2 one later) but I would be surprised if it were within its letter,
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: London, UK
Posts: 136
Hasu is in Slough (~20min drive from Heathrow) and they been offering day2 PCR test for months, used them many time and results are within 3hr (one time I received the result in under an hour).
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In all of this fuss about new testing rules.......surely it would have made far more sense to require PCRs for entry to the UK as a first line of defence.
Or is the unspoken truth that the UK government has no confidence in overseas tests?
Or is the unspoken truth that the UK government has no confidence in overseas tests?
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I never thought abandoning the pre-departure tests was a good idea. Think about all the people that will have come into the UK from SA with no test up until a few days ago. The cynical view though is that Randox made no money from pre-departure tests. There were good reasons to doubt tests from India., but other countries no. Every country I have been to (and that is quite a few in the last year) has been very thorough with PCR testing.
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,238
A brief summary of how testing on travel has gone so far, courtesy of Suzanne Lugthart on LinkedIn. For the record, I'm not a covid-denier. I'm vaccinated, I make a point of wearing a mask in all shops and on trains/tube/bus/plane/airports, I test myself before and after a flight. I'd rather them be jumpy with this new variant and then realise that it was a flash in the pan than to do a Delta once again. I just have z-e-r-o trust in this Government when it comes to doing the right thing.
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 28
So I see a lot of talk about England, but how about traveling into Northern Ireland.
Looking at their travel advisory page, unless I'm really dense I can not find an example of my upcoming travel plans.
So headed to Dublin in two weeks, spending most of our time there or driving abouts Ireland, but had planned to drive up to Northern Ireland into Belfast. Only in the area for a total of four days- so the only thing I found said as long as we hadn't traveled to a red list country in the past 10 days, we just had to pre test before going to ensure we are negative. So this is what I'm planning on... Now figuring out if the self test I have bought from Delta will cover that (it's what we're using to fly home with) or do the rules of isolation and test on day 0 apply, meaning pointless to drive up for a day driving trip.
But the new rules have us a bit concerned and confused. Literally just driving up for the day and back. No overnight. So what of these new rules applies? Anyone with any thoughts on it?
Looking at their travel advisory page, unless I'm really dense I can not find an example of my upcoming travel plans.
So headed to Dublin in two weeks, spending most of our time there or driving abouts Ireland, but had planned to drive up to Northern Ireland into Belfast. Only in the area for a total of four days- so the only thing I found said as long as we hadn't traveled to a red list country in the past 10 days, we just had to pre test before going to ensure we are negative. So this is what I'm planning on... Now figuring out if the self test I have bought from Delta will cover that (it's what we're using to fly home with) or do the rules of isolation and test on day 0 apply, meaning pointless to drive up for a day driving trip.
But the new rules have us a bit concerned and confused. Literally just driving up for the day and back. No overnight. So what of these new rules applies? Anyone with any thoughts on it?