Fully inoculated Indian nationals will no longer be required to take any medical test to travel to the UK from February 11, although they will still have to fill out a passenger locator form.
Those who are not fully vaccinated will have to produce a negative RT-PCR test result before departure and also take another test on or before the second day of their arrival, the UK government said in a statement. No traveller will need to self-isolate on arrival, and will only need to do so if they test positive.
“All testing measures for eligible fully vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK will be removed from 4 am on 11 February, as the government goes one step further to reopen the travel sector,” the statement said. The changes, announced on January 24, mean that the UK “has one of the most free-flowing borders across Europe in addition to having the most open economy and society.”
The changes in travel rules will be in place ahead of the February half term for educational institutions and follow the success of Britain’s booster programme, the statement added. The UK government is able to reduce the number of travel restrictions due to the success of the Covid-19 vaccine and booster rollout in the country.
{{/usCountry}}The changes in travel rules will be in place ahead of the February half term for educational institutions and follow the success of Britain’s booster programme, the statement added. The UK government is able to reduce the number of travel restrictions due to the success of the Covid-19 vaccine and booster rollout in the country.
{{/usCountry}}Before the end of February, eligible fully vaccinated travellers will only need to fill a simplified passenger locator form that will confirm their vaccination status, travel history and contact details.
For inward travel, all under-18s, regardless of their individual vaccination status, will continue to be considered as fully vaccinated.
The new framework aims to provide stability for travellers and the travel industry throughout 2022, and will result in savings of around £100 for an average family with the removal of testing.
“We made the right calls at the right time, and thanks to our vaccine and booster rollout, it’s paying off, allowing us to safely remove nearly all Covid-19 travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers,” UK transport secretary Grant Shapps said.