From 4am Friday 18 March, in time for the Easter break, all COVID-19 travel restrictions have been lifted, including the Passenger Locator Form for arrivals into the UK, as well as all tests for passengers who do not qualify as vaccinated. This change also removes the need for unvaccinated passengers to take a pre-departure test and a day 2 post arrival test.
This step reflects the decisions taken by the government, as set out in the Living with COVID plan, and the success of the UK’s vaccine and booster rollout, with 86% of the population having received a second dose and 67% of the population with a booster or third dose.
Richard Fuller MP said:
Thanks to the success of our historic vaccine roll out, we are able to safely restore our vital freedoms as we learn to live with Covid-19. The government is delivering on its promise not to keep travel restrictions in place for any longer than necessary, meaning families can look forward to greater freedoms ahead of the Easter holidays.
This significant step is only possible because the Government has got the big calls right: on vaccination, on boosters and on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic
The government will maintain a range of contingency measures in reserve, should the need arise to respond in a more measured and flexible way to a significant COVID-19 variant. UKHSA will continue to closely monitor the prevalence and spread of harmful variants and keep international data under review.
While there will be no border health measures on arrival in the UK from 18 March, other countries are at different stages in the pandemic and many still require passengers to comply with requirements and travellers should continue to check GOV.UK travel guidance including Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel advice to keep up to date with other countries’ entry requirements.
People will continue to be able to access their vaccine and recovery records through the NHS COVID Pass to use when travelling overseas.
