COVID-19 travel restrictions for non-EU citizens in the United Kingdom

1.  Does the UK allow vaccine passports?

At the moment, the UK does not accept vaccination passports as an alternative to quarantine. However, there is some indication that this approach may change. The UK Government has introduced an NHS Covid Pass (in England & Wales) to enable travellers from the UK to show their Covid-19 status when they travel abroad. A similar NHS vaccine certificate applies in Scotland and is being implemented in Northern Ireland.

The current UK Covid-19 rules around entry into the UK involve a red, amber, green traffic light system. Quarantine and testing requirements vary according to the list the country is on at the time of travel. The lists are reviewed every three weeks and can change with less than one week’s notice. The lists and the conditions on entry should be monitored for changes prior to travel. The names of the countries on each list is contained here.

On 5 July 2021 the UK Government confirmed that arrivals from amber countries who are fully vaccinated will not need to quarantine on entry. This change is not expected to come into effect until ‘later this summer’, and further details are awaited around how this will operate (and which parts of the UK it will apply to). The situation around international travel is fluid and government guidance should be checked.

2. What are the conditions for entering the UK?

Everyone travelling to the UK must, as a minimum:

  • book at least one Covid-19 PCR test for after they arrive in the UK;
  • provide their contact details by completing the online passenger locator form, 48 hours before entry into the UK;
  • provide proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken in the three days before they leave for the UK. The results must be in English, Spanish or French; and
  • follow the testing and quarantine rules in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Although the rules are similar across the four nations, anyone travelling should check the specific requirements for each country.

The full details of the conditions will vary depending on where the individual has been staying in the ten days before they travel to the UK. If an individual has previously been staying in a:

  • green list country – they must take a COVID-19 test on or before day two in the UK, but there is no requirement to quarantine.
  • amber list country – they must quarantine in the place they are staying for ten days and take two COVID-19 tests. The first test must be on or before day two, and the second on or after day eight. With the amber list there is a Test to Release scheme in England. If an individual pays for a test on day five they can end quarantine early. This must be organised and booked before a person travels to England. (An individual will still need to take the day eight test.)
    • Note: Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have not adopted the Test to Release scheme.
  • red list country – they must quarantine in an approved hotel for ten days and take two COVID-19 tests. (As above, the first test must be on or before day two, and the second on or after day eight.) An individual cannot currently enter the UK if they have been in or through a country on the red list unless they are British, Irish or they have the right to live in the UK. The Test to Release scheme does not apply to red list countries.

PCR tests taken after arrival must be booked through one of the approved government providers.

Exemptions

Certain roles are exempt from aspects of the travel requirements. These include pilots, offshore workers. The full list and the rules are contained here. Again, the rules vary according to the colour list of the country.

Additional exemptions apply in relation to medical conditions and compassionate reasons.