UK Government Announces Further Travel Restrictions

The UK government has announced that travellers will need a valid reason to be approved for travel as tougher border controls are implemented to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and protect the Coronavirus vaccination programme.

Travelling out of the UK

• People will be required to declare their reason for travel and anyone without a valid reason will be refused travel and may face a fine.
• There will be increased police enforcement at ports and airports.
• The list of travel exemptions will be reviewed constantly so that only the most important reasons are included.

Travelling into the UK

• All those who enter the UK from international countries with travel bans will be required to isolate for 10 days without exception. More details will be provided in due course.
• Police are carrying checks to make sure people are self-isolating.

These new measures are in addition to the current restrictions already in place. All restrictions are being implemented in an attempt to help reduce the risk of importing a new variant of COVID-19.

Other restrictions include:

• Non-UK residents from red list countries will be refused entry.
• Passengers arriving into the UK from abroad will be required to take a pre-departure Covid test and need to provide evidence of a negative test on arrival. These travellers will also be required to self-isolate on arrival and complete a passenger locater form and will face fines if they fail to comply.

What is considered essential travel?

People are only allowed to travel abroad for essential reasons and the “reasonable excuses” for travelling abroad are the same as domestic travel. These reasons include:

• Work that cannot be done from home
• Medical appointments
• Educational reasons

Anyone travelling into Northern Ireland

• Who plans to stay for at least 24hours should self-isolate for 10 days.
• Restrictions don’t apply to people who routinely cross the border for essential purposes.
• Only essential travel is permitted – for work and health reasons.
• International travellers must also provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test.

There is currently a travel ban on people travelling from Great Britain into the Republic of Ireland but controls will not be introduced on the border of NI.

Find the latest travel guidance for:

• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland

If you have any questions or queries about the above information, please contact your Account Manager.