THE NEW RULES ON ENTERING THE UK

In this article, we will detail the new rules on entering the UK. The post-Brexit, COVID era, it can be difficult to keep up with the rules on what is needed to travel. These rules are often subject to rapid changes, and so we advise always checking the Gov.UK website for the latest official advise.

As it stands, these are the new (and current) rules on entering the UK:

Passenger Locator Form:

Before entering the UK, you need to have filled out a passenger locator form within 48 hours of entering the country. Therefore, in this form, you need to provide the details of your journey, detailing which countries you have recently visited.  

Once you submit the form online, you will receive an email with a document attached. At border control, you must either show a printed copy of this document, or download a copy of it on to your phone. We recommend always printing a hard copy in case of technological issues! Border Force officers will scan the QR code at the top of this document to check you have successfully completed the form.

Negative PCR Test

Before your travel to the UK, you will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test. This additionally applies to UK citizens. Furthermore, all countries have now been taken off the travel corridor list. The test must be taken 3 days before you start your journey to the UK.

However, the test must meet standards of >97% specificity. For example, this could be a PCR test, including the LAMP tests, or an antigen test, such as the lateral flow device. For more information on the difference in each of these tests, see this Sky article.

The test result must be in either English, French or Spanish. Translations will not be accepted, and you must provide the original test result certificate. It must show your name, age, result of the test, date the rest sample was collected, name of the test provider and name of the test device.

Proof can be provided as a physical, printed document, or via email or text message which you can show on your phone. If you arrive without proof of a negative test result, you could be fined £500. For the latest information, see the Gov.UK testing advise.

Quarantine on Arrival

You must self-isolate for the first 10 days after arrival. You must self-isolate even if you tested negative. The government will use the details from the passenger locator form to check that you are self-isolating.

However, you can end the self-isolation period early by paying for a private coronavirus test. This is under the Test to Release scheme.

Ignoring the rules of self-isolation can carry fines of up to £10,000.

Will I need a visa?

In addition, the rules on whether you need a visa or not depend on your individual case. As a result, to find out how any new rules may affect you, we recommend you visit the Gov.UK visa page.

We hope you found this article on the new rules on entering the UK helpful. If you require any help with translating any documents into a wide range of languages, then visit us at iTrad Traducciones.  We are well experienced with all types of official documents, and our sworn translators guarantee an official, rapid and professional service.