PCR, lateral flow, pre-departure, day two tests… help! It’s easy to feel a little overwhelmed when it comes to Covid-19 tests for travel and the frequently changing rules. Here is a simple guide to the tests you currently need to travel abroad, where to get them, and where to stay updated with the latest information.

Travelling from the UK

Entry requirements for those travelling from the UK vary between countries, depend on your vaccination status and can change quite regularly.

Some countries require proof of full vaccination, whereas others require proof of a negative PCR test and/or proof of full vaccination.

In other countries, you can only enter for essential reasons, regardless of vaccination status.

The best place to stay up to date with the latest entry requirements for individual countries is on the UK government’s official website.

Travelling back to the UK

It was recently announced that fully vaccinated passengers no longer need to take a pre-departure test in the two days before travelling to the UK. Unvaccinated travellers are still required to take a lateral flow test (LFT) or PCR test before travelling to the UK.

What do I need to do before I fly to the UK?

All travellers must fill in an online passenger locator form no more than 48 hours before arriving in the UK. This form will require some personal details including your vaccination status, passport details, travel details and the UK address you will be staying at. It is used by NHS track and trace to contact you if someone you travelled with develops Covid-19 symptoms.

What do I need to do when I arrive in the UK?

While fully vaccinated travellers no longer must take a pre-departure test, all travellers aged five years or over (11 years and over if travelling to Scotland) must take a day two test after they arrive in the UK. This must be taken within 48 hours of arrival. Those who are not fully vaccinated must quarantine for 10 days after arrival in the UK and must also take a day eight test. You will need to have booked your day two/day eight tests before you fly to the UK as your passenger locator form will ask for evidence of this.

The good news is that these tests can be either an LFT or a PCR test. LFTs tend to be much cheaper than PCR tests.

Do be aware that if you choose to take an LFT test and it is positive, you must confirm the results with an NHS PCR test and quarantine. Note that this is different to those people who have not travelled but test positive on an LFT – they no longer need to confirm the positive LFT result with a PCR test.

Where to get your tests

LFT and PCR tests for travel (excluding PCR tests used to confirm positive day two LFT tests) cannot be a free NHS test. Instead, you will need to purchase your test from a private test provider.

If you’re concerned about the legitimacy of the provider and/or the tests, the government website has a handy list of approved providers to choose from. Although the government does not endorse or explicitly recommend these companies, it is a useful resource to compare the costs of different providers.

The website clearly shows you the different types of tests available and also allows you to filter providers based on test types (i.e. day two LFT or PCR test, day two and eight test packages and test to release), testing method (i.e. self-test at home, self-test at a provider site, supervised test at home and supervised test at a provider site), and delivery method (i.e. click and collect or home delivery).

It is also worth checking whether your airline offers any discounts on tests.