Mandatory COVID-19 Testing For Travel To Airports In England
The UK Government has announced that passengers arriving at airports in England will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test on arrival.
The Government has said the testing requirement came into effect today. Passengers will have to take a test up to 72 hours before departure. For example, if your flight to England is on Friday, your test must not be taken any earlier than Tuesday.
A statement from the Government follows below:
The UK Government has announced that passengers arriving at airports in England will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test on arrival.
The testing requirement came into effect today. Passengers will have to take a test up to 72 hours before departure. For example, if your flight to England is on Friday, your test must not be taken any earlier than Tuesday.
It is the individual’s responsibility to ensure that they are in possession of a negative COVID-19 test result certificate before boarding their aircraft.
A negative antigen test can be taken at the COVID Rapid Test facility at the Gibraltar International Airport, at a cost of £50 inclusive of the certificate. For further information visit: https://www.covidrapidtest.gi/
On arrival in England, you must provide the original test result certificate. It must include the following information:
- your name, which should match the name on your travel documents
- your date of birth or age
- the result of the test
- the date the test sample was collected or received by the test provider • the name of the test provider and their contact details
- the name of the test device
If you arrive without a test result that includes the above information, you will be committing a criminal offence and could receive a £500 fine.
Children and medical reasons
Children aged under 11 do not need to take a test.
You do not need to take a test if you are travelling:
- For urgent medical treatment or are accompanying someone who is travelling for urgent medical treatment and it is not reasonably practicable for you to obtain a negative COVID-19 test in the 3 days before departure.
- If you have a medical condition which means you cannot take a test – you must present a note from a medical practitioner at check in and to Border Force staff on arrival in England.
The public should also be aware that the UK Government has suspended all of its travel corridors. In addition to providing proof of a negative COVID result when arriving at an airport in England, passengers travelling to the UK will now also need to self-isolate on arrival. The UK’s Test to Release option remains available to shorten the period of self-isolation.
Further advice can be obtained by visiting:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-people-travelling-to-england
