Travel is going “back to the good old days”, according to transport secretary Grant Shapps.
On Monday, the cabinet minister announced that the requirement for fully vaccinated arrivals to take a coronavirus test will be dropped from February 11, in time for the half-term holidays.
“You will be able to come to this country, and if you’ve been fully vaccinated, in other words two vaccinations, you will not need to take any tests at all, either before you leave to come here or when you get back here,” he said.
Travel rules are also being eased for arrivals who are not fully vaccinated and for children.
With the regulations changing so frequently it can be hard to keep track. So for those dreaming of a trip abroad in 2022, here’s the easy to follow guide you need.
The England travel rules if you’re vaccinated
Currently, people who are fully vaccinated (meaning you’ve had two doses of the coronavirus vaccine) have to pre-book a Covid-19 arrival test before you travel and log the reference number on a UK passenger locator form.
You can book either a lateral flow test or a PCR test, and take the test any time after you arrive back in England and before the end of day two at the latest. The day you arrive is day zero. If your test result is positive, you must self-isolate. If it’s negative, there’s no need to self-isolate.
From February 11, the obligation to do this test will be scrapped completely for fully-vaccinated passengers returning home to England.
The rules for other UK nations can be found here.
The England travel rules if you’re not vaccinated
Currently, if you’re not fully vaccinated, you must pre-book a Covid test to be taken two days before you travel back to England.
You must also pre-book and complete two further PCR tests once you arrive back in England, on or before day two and on or after day eight. The day you arrive is day zero.
Unvaccinated passengers currently have to self-isolate at home for 10 days upon arrival to the UK, even if you test negative on day two. (If your day two test is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days starting from the day the test was taken).
From February 11, these rules will be reduced. Unvaccinated passengers will no longer be required to do a test on day eight of your arrival or to self-isolate for a mandatory 10 days.
However, you will still need to take a Covid test two days before you travel to England and will also need to complete a post-arrival PCR test on day two of your return.
Travel rules for children
Children aged four and under do not have to take any travel tests.
Currently, children aged five to 17 have to follow the testing and quarantine rules for people who qualify as fully vaccinated on arrival in England (meaning they currently need to test on day two of arrival).
The good news for parents wishing to book half term breaks is that from February 11, all children (0-17 years) will be exempt from Covid testing on arrival in England.
The travel rules in other countries
While the rules for England are relaxing, its vital to check the entry and exit requirements for the country you’re visiting.
For example, you must show proof of being fully vaccinated to enter Spain from the UK if travelling for tourism purposes. This includes children over the age of 12 – something to consider if you’re holidaying with teens who have yet to access their jab.
You should also double check the definition of “fully vaccinated” at your holiday destination. In the UK, having two doses of the vaccine and no booster is currently enough to be categorised as fully vaccinated – but this is not the case elsewhere.
“Increasingly countries elsewhere are requiring the booster for you to go there,” Shapps told LBC.
“So an important message for people listening to your show, particularly perhaps younger people who maybe think ‘Oh, I haven’t bothered with the booster, I’ve been jabbed but I haven’t bothered with the booster’, get the booster because this summer, from talking to my counterparts around the world, in Europe and elsewhere, if you want to travel, say go to Spain on holiday this summer, they are almost certainly going to require that booster jab. So you want to get that.”
There are currently no countries listed on the UK’s red list for travel, but remember that this can always change. Check the Covid policies offered by your travel company before you book.
