Updated 31 March 2021
From 6 April, and when in England for more than two days, seafarers will be required to undertake lateral flow tests (LFTs) on days two, five and eight.
Anyone arriving in England from 15 February will need to either (excludes seafarers):
- self-isolate in the place they’re staying for 10 days, or
- quarantine in a government approved hotel for 10 days
What you need to do depends on where you have been in the 10 days before you arrive in England.
You must also get 2 coronavirus tests after you arrive in England – you’ll need to book these before you travel.
Booking and staying in a quarantine hotel when you arrive in England
This guidance is for people arriving in England who have visited or passed through a country where travel to the UK is banned (‘red list’) in the 10 days before their arrival.
You cannot travel to the UK if you’ve visited or passed through a country where travel to the UK is banned in the last 10 days, unless you’re:
- a British national
- an Irish national
- anyone with residence rights in the UK
Entry ban on travel from red list countries
If you have been in or through any country on the travel ban red list in the previous 10 days, you will be refused entry to the UK.
If you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK, you will be able to enter. You must self-isolate for 10 days on arrival along with your household. You cannot use the Test to Release scheme.
- Angola
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ecuador
- Eswatini
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores)
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Test providers and type of test
You will need to find a test provider. You must make sure that the test provider can meet the standards for pre-departure testing.
The test must meet performance standards of ≥97% specificity, ≥80% sensitivity at viral loads above 100,000 copies/ml.
This could include tests such as:
- a nucleic acid test, including a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or derivative technologies, including loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) tests
- an antigen test, such as a test from a lateral flow device
Passenger locator form
You must complete a passenger locator form before you travel to England.
Self-isolating when you arrive in the UK
Even though you have provided a negative test for entering the country, you must follow the rules for self-isolating when you arrive in England.
All travel corridors have been suspended.
When you arrive in the UK will need to self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of your pre-departure test result.
Shortening your self-isolation period – Test to Release scheme
You can shorten your self-isolation period if you pay for a COVID-19 test after isolating for 5 days. This is known as the Test to Release for International Travel scheme.
The scheme is not available to anyone who has been in or through any country that is subject to a travel ban in the 10 days before arrival in England.