Earlier this week, it was announced that all remaining restrictions on international travel for all UK passengers would be removed ahead of the Easter Holidays.
As of 4am on Friday morning, all Covid-19 travel restrictions were lifted in what Transport Secretary Grant Shapps described as a 'world leading' decision.
From March 18:
- Passenger Locator Form (PLF) for arrivals into UK will no longer be needed
- Tests for passengers who do not qualify as vaccinated are not required
- Unvaccinated passengers will not need to take a pre-departure test and a Day 2 post-arrival test
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Given the current state of the pandemic and a move towards global travel volumes returning to normal, the remaining managed hotel quarantine capacity will also be fully stood down from the end of March.
Whilst all international travel requirements to enter Northern Ireland have been removed, this may not be the case for many international destinations.
Before booking any Easter Holiday getaways, make sure to check the entry requirements for your destination at the Gov.uk website to ensure you are prepared.
Here are the requirements for some popular destinations:
Spain
Everyone (including children under 12 years old) travelling by air or sea must fill in and sign an online Health Control Form and on arrival into Spanish ports and airports, you must show the QR code issued.
You must show valid proof of being fully vaccinated (with both doses of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a one-dose vaccine) at least 14 days prior to arrival in Spain.
If not fully vaccinated but have recovered from COVID-19 in the last 6 months, you can also use a medical certificate or recovery record to prove your COVID-19 status on entry to Spain.
Children under the age of 12 years old do not need to, show proof of being fully vaccinated on entry, take diagnostic tests prior to arrival, show proof of have recovered from prior COVID-19 infection in the last 6 months.
Travellers from the UK aged 12 to 17 inclusive can enter Spain by presenting documentation certifying that they have undertaken a COVID-19 nucleic acid amplification test - NAAT (PCR or similar) within 72 hours prior to arrival in Spain.
France
Fully vaccinated travellers aged 12 and over must continue to provide:
- Proof of vaccination. Further details on what counts as being fully vaccinated can be found below
- A sworn statement (déclaration sur l’honneur) self-certifying you’re not suffering from COVID-19 symptoms and haven’t been in contact with confirmed cases in the 14 days prior to travel.
France will accept the UK’s proof of COVID-19 recovery and vaccination record at the border. Your final vaccine dose must have been administered at least 7 days prior to travel for Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or 28 days after a second dose of Johnson & Johnson.
Travellers aged 18 and over who had their full vaccine course over 9 months ago and have not since received a COVID-19 vaccine booster must follow the rules for unvaccinated passengers.
Travellers who are not fully vaccinated need to provide:
- A completed international travel certificate to prove the reason for essential travel (not required for children under 18 who are accompanied by vaccinated adults)
- A negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours or an antigen test result taken within 48 hours pre-departure if aged 12 years and over
- A sworn statement (déclaration sur l’honneur) self-certifying you’re not suffering from COVID-19 symptoms and haven’t been in contact with confirmed cases in the 14 days prior to travel.
You may also be required to take a test on arrival. If you produce a positive test result on arrival, you will be required to self-isolate according to the rules in France.
The French Ministry of the Interior website states that all children under 12 are exempt from all COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Italy
Adult travellers will need to complete a passenger locator form (EU PLF) to enter or travel through Italy as a visitor.
The EU PLF will generate a QR code which should be shown to your travel provider prior to boarding.
All travellers, aged 6 and over, must show one of the following:
- proof of vaccination OR
- evidence of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before entering Italy or a negative rapid lateral flow test taken within the 48 hours before entering Italy OR
- a COVID-19 recovery certificate, certifying that you have recovered from COVID-19 in the last 6 months
If you cannot present evidence of vaccination OR a negative test OR a COVID-19 recovery certificate, you will need to:
- travel to your final destination in Italy by private transport
remain in self-isolation for 5 days
- take another PCR or rapid lateral flow test at the end of the 5 days’ self-isolation. If the test is negative, you can leave self-isolation
All arrivals from the UK into Sicily will need to undertake a rapid lateral flow test on arrival (administered by the local health authorities free of charge).
Regardless of your vaccination status, anyone arriving in Italy by air, land or by sea may be subject to random COVID testing on arrival.
Children and minors do not need to complete a separate Passenger Locator Form. Accompanied minors can be registered on the EU Passenger locator form of the accompanying adult in the declaration section.
Children aged 5 and under do not need to take a test to enter Italy.
Portugal
All travellers to mainland Portugal and the Azores are required to complete a passenger locator form before arrival.
If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter mainland Portugal without needing to test.
To qualify under the fully vaccinated rules, you must have a vaccination certificate which shows you have had either:
- a full course, as described below, of a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency, at least 14 days and no more than 270 days before you arrive, or
- a full course of a vaccine, as described below, plus a booster vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency at least 14 days before you arrive
You will be considered fully vaccinated if you have had:
- both doses of a 2-dose vaccine, or a combination of two different vaccines, or
- an approved one-dose vaccine, or
- a full course of a vaccine, plus a booster vaccine, or
- if you caught COVID-19 after just one dose of a 2-dose vaccine and your certificate shows that your vaccination course is complete after the administration of just one dose of the vaccine
If you’re not fully vaccinated, you’ll need to show proof of a negative PCR test (taken no more than 72 hours before entry) or rapid lateral flow test (taken no more than 24 hours before entry) when you check in for your flight to mainland Portugal. Self-administered tests are not acceptable.
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