The New UK Travel Rules That Started Applying on October 4

The New UK Travel Rules That Started Applying on October 4

The British government has introduced new and more relaxed entry rules, which became effective last Monday, on October 4.

Following this decision, the government has put an end to the amber list, on which the majority of EU member states were previously placed and, as such, obliged to undergo quarantine and double testing requirements upon arrival in the UK.

However, the authorities have since Monday introduced the green and red list countries, with travellers of the latter being subject to more stringent entry rules.

Currently, all 27 EU member states and the four associated Schengen Area countries are placed on the green list but with a risk to be added on the red one if the epidemiological situation of respective countries worsens.

This means that all European citizens travelling to the UK are no longer required to quarantine upon arrival or provide a test taken before departure, the authorities have announced.

Furthermore, since October 4, European citizens can enter the UK by providing the following:

1.      Booking and paying for a COVID test to be taken upon arrival in the UK

2.      Completing the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) before travelling to the UK

The PLF must also include the reference number for the COVID test reservation, which must be carried out within 48 hours after arriving in the country. The testing requirement is mandatory even if the traveller stays in the UK for less than two days.

However, regardless of their vaccination status, EU and Schengen Area nationals still have to carry out the post-arrival test, which now can be purchased at lower costs, a press release by the Department of Transport reveals. If the result is positive, the British authorities require the traveller to take a PCR test to determine the final result.

Moreover, children travelling with their parents or guardians to the UK are also subject to newly introduced entry rules as those from five to 17 years old have to get tested on the second day of their stay.

The press release also indicates that the UK has expanded its vaccination policy to 18 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Canada. The approved vaccines from the British authorities include the following:

·         AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria)

·         Pfizer/BioNTech (Comirnaty)

·         Moderna (Spikevax)

·         Johnson & Johnson (Janssen).

·         AstraZeneca CoviShield

·         Moderna Takeda

 

>> Travel: UK Now Recognises EU Nationals Vaccinated With 2 Different COVID-19 Doses as Fully Vaccinated

UK introduced a new classifying system. The recently introduced single-list for high-risk countries excludes the 27-nation-bloc, countries of which were previously placed on the amber list. The latter’s entry rules obliged travellers to self-isolate for ten days upon reaching the UK.

The change in travel rules has been made possible due to the vaccination campaign that the UK is currently implementing, as the Transport Secretary, Shapps, noted. According to the UK’s official site for Coronavirus related matters, 93,893,348 vaccinations have been administered to the British population, with 48.9 million being vaccinated with the first shot whereas 44.9 million being fully immunised against the virus.

However, while the entry rules for travelling to the UK amid the pandemic have been facilitated, the entry rules for European travellers have been tightened by the British authorities as the two parties parted ways officially at the beginning of this year. Following this, since Friday, October 1, the European citizens have to present a valid passport in order to enter the UK, instead of an ID as they did up until the withdrawal agreement was implemented.

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/what-eu-nationals-should-know-about-the-new-uk-travel-rules-that-started-applying-on-october-4/