International travel will receive its biggest boost in two years when the governmentscraps the need to be Covid tested before and after you arrive back home in England or Scotland – provided you are fully vaccinated or under 18.
The rule change, which comes just in time for the half-term break, applies to anyone arriving after 4am on Friday 11 February. Wales and Northern Ireland are yet to change their testing rules, although they are expected to follow.
Under-18s and those who qualify as fully vaccinated (having had the second jab at least 14 days previously) will no longer need to take a Covid test before they depart for home, nor after they arrive back.
On the same day, the unvaccinated will no longer be required to self-isolate on arrival but they will still need to take a pre-departure test, and book and pay for a day-two PCR test. The need for the second, day-eight, test is removed.
Everyone arriving in the UK will still be required to fill in a passenger locator form.
Those heading abroad face a bewildering set of rules – depending on their destination.
Most countries now require a vaccination certificate to enter without quarantine and, or, a negative Covid-19 test result taken up to 48 hours before the traveller departs the UK.
Some countries require the under-18s to prove they have been vaccinated or that adults have had a booster. In Austria, 16- and 17-year-olds must be fully vaccinated, take a test and have a booster in order to enter. Malta still requires 12- to 18-year-olds to be fully vaccinated before arrival.
For this reason, the UK government has announced that children aged 12-15 are to be given access to digital Covid passes in time for half-term. Families can also request a NHS Covid pass letter, which
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