I am writing to update you on the Government’s plans to ease restrictions for international travel.
The UK is one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, Omicron is in retreat and we have one of the most free and open societies. I announced to the House yesterday our international travel regime will also be liberalised, as part of our efforts to ensure that 2022 is the year in which restrictions on travel, lockdowns and limits on people’s lives are placed firmly in the past.
From 4am Friday 11 February, in time for the half-term break, eligible fully vaccinated passengers arriving in the UK will no longer have to undertake a post-arrival Lateral Flow test. This means that there will be no testing requirements for those who are fully vaccinated. As such, the only remaining measure for those who are fully vaccinated will be to complete a Passenger Locator Form.
Passengers who do not qualify as fully vaccinated will no longer be required to undertake a day 8 test after arrival or self-isolate. Such passengers will still need to fill out a Passenger Locator Form, demonstrate proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 2 days before travel and take a post arrival PCR test before day 2.
For inbound travel, all under-18s regardless of their individual vaccination status will continue to be considered as fully vaccinated, meaning they too will not have to take any pre or post arrival tests.
Children aged 12-15 in England will also be able to prove their vaccination status or proof of prior infection via the digital NHS COVID Pass from 3 February for outbound travel, making it easier for children and families to travel to countries which require proof of vaccination or prior infection to gain entry, avoid isolation, or access venues or services.
From 11 February, we will recognise vaccine certificates from a further 16 countries and territories at the UK border, including China and Mexico, bringing the total number of countries and territories from which we recognise vaccine certification to more than 180.
From the end of February, the window for a passenger to complete a Passenger Locator Form prior to their departure will increase from 48 hours to 3 days, giving passengers more time to complete the form ahead of travel. We will simplify the Passenger Locator Form so that we only capture essential information and it is much easier to complete.
As Omicron showed, there is still a need to have robust contingency plans for the eventuality that similar strategic threats emerge. In the coming weeks we will consult with industry as we develop clear contingency plans for use at the border, as part of our long-term plan on living with COVID-19. Any contingency measures will depend on our ability to identify threats early. That is why we will also continue efforts to enhance global surveillance capabilities over the longer term to maximise detection of variants and move to a proportionate, sophisticated and targeted global surveillance system.
The Devolved Administrations have confirmed that they will also align on these international travel measures.
These significant steps forward, providing confidence to passengers and much-needed support to the aviation industry, are only possible because the Government has got the big calls right – on vaccination, on boosters and on dealing with Omicron. We can now open up travel and declare that the UK is open for business.
Yours ever,
The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP