What are the latest UK travel rules for vaccinated travellers?

New rules - or lack thereof - kick in from 18 March

All testing and forms have been abolished for travel to the UK (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

With the scrapping and reintroduction of red lists, PCR tests, lateral flow tests and self-isolation at various points during the last year, it’s been tough to keep track of the UK’s fluctuating travel rules.

Now the line-up has changed once again, following the government’s announcement that it will end all remaining travel rules for arrivals to the UK.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps described “greater freedom in time for Easter”, saying “You can travel just like in the good old days”.

But do vaccinated travellers still need a Passenger Locator Form (PLF), and are there any other surprising bits of admin that might trip us up?

Here’s everything you need to know for travel, before and after the rule change on 18 March.

Do vaccinated travellers need a Covid test to leave and enter the UK?

Not from the UK’s perspective - all travel tests have been scrapped for vaccinated travellers coming to the country.

Since 11 February, fully vaccinated travellers arriving into the UK have no longer needed to do a “day two” Covid test, while since 7 January, they have not needed to do a “pre-departure” test before their flight there.

“Fully vaccinated” for the purposes of UK travel rules means anyone who has had two doses of a recognised vaccine (with the second dose administered at least 14 days prior).

Whether you’ll have to test before you fly out on holiday is specific to your destination. Many places, such as Sri Lanka, South Africa and Israel require a negative result from a PCR test taken in the 24-72 hours before you travel - others, such as the Maldives, the UAE and Italy, have scrapped their pre-travel test for vaccinated people.

Some, such as the US, will allow a lateral flow test instead of a PCR for vaccinated travellers, but give a shorter time frame (the US’s is 24 hours before travel).

Meanwhile, countries including Spain and Greece are allowing fully vaccinated visitors in without any testing restrictions, requiring only a local health form. Always check the latest travel guidance on the Foreign Office website.

Do vaccinated travellers need a Passenger Locator Form?

No. As of 4am on18 March, 2022, you no longer have to fill in a passenger locator form - it will be abolished from this time.

This applies to all travellers, regardless of vaccination status.

Is hotel quarantine still a possibility?

Hotel quarantine has not been employed by the UK for some months. The red list has been empty since January, and ministers announced on 14 March that hotel quarantine “will be fully stood down from the end of March, putting the UK as one of the first major economies to end all Covid-19 international travel rules”.

While the 14 March announcement appeared to cover a “final” removal of all restrictions during March 2022, ministers have reserved the right to reintroduce measures in the case of a worrying new variant of Covid.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said: “We will continue monitoring and tracking potential new variants, and keep a reserve of measures which can be rapidly deployed if needed to keep us safe.”

Are the travel rules likely to change again for vaccinated people?

Though there was a note of finality to Grant Shapps’ announcement on 14 March, he took care to say that although he wants to “keep international travel moving”, rules were being removed only when deemed unnecessary.

He said: “I said we wouldn’t keep travel measures in place for any longer than necessary, which we’re delivering on today - providing more welcome news and greater freedom for travellers ahead of the Easter holidays.

“I look forward to continuing to work with the travel sector and partners around the world to keep international travel moving.”

UK testing rules had previously been simplified last autumn, between the Delta variant of Covid-19 spiking cases in the UK and the arrival of the Omicron variant, before being tightened again in late November and early December 2021.

This shows that rules can change at short notice. However, ministers have moved to a “learning to live with Covid-19” approach due to the lower number of deaths and hospitalisations during the Omicron variant surge, ending the stricter “Plan B” guidance introduced during winter.

There is a chance that testing could be reintroduced for vaccinated people if a concerning new variant is detected in the UK or elsewhere, with some experts pointing to the importance of genomic sequencing using PCR tests. More likely is that countries abroad may be added to the red list - currently empty, but kept on standby in case of new variants - with some stricter restrictions attached to travel there.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, says: “While claims by the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, that the UK is ‘world-beating’ in abolishing restrictions are wide of the mark, the abolition of the passenger locator form and testing rules will spur international travel.

“But with concern about Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine foremost in people’s minds, a sudden rebound on rules is unlikely.

“However, it remains to be seen how much lasting damage has been done to the outbound travel industry – previously the best in the world – and the UK’s reputation as a good destination for inbound visitors.”