Whether or not you are fully vaccinated, and the location from which you are travelling will both have an effect on whether you must self-isolate when you arrive in England. Please read the information below and follow government guidelines.
If you are fully vaccinated
Before you travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- book and pay for a COVID-19 test – to be taken after you arrive in England
- complete a passenger locator form – to be completed in the 48 hours before you arrive in England.
If you’re in England for less than 2 days, you still need to book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test.
When you arrive in England
After you arrive in England you must take a COVID-19 test. This is the test that you booked before travel. You can book either a lateral flow test or a PCR test.
You can take the test any time after you arrive and before the end of day 2 at the latest. The day you arrive is day 0.
If your test result is positive, you must self-isolate.
If your lateral flow test result is positive, you must also take a PCR test.
If you are not fully vaccinated
Before you travel to England
Before you travel to England you must:
- take a COVID-19 test – to be taken in the 2 days before you travel to England
- book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 PCR tests – to be taken after arrival in England
- complete a passenger locator form – to be completed in the 48 hours before you arrive in England.
Read more about taking a COVID-19 test before you travel to England.
When you arrive in England
After you arrive in England you must:
- quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 full days
- take your COVID-19 PCR tests – you must book these tests before you travel.
You must take the first test on or before day 2 and the second test on or after day 8. The day you arrive is day 0.
If you are in England for less than 10 days, you need to quarantine for the time you are here. You need to book day 2 and day 8 PCR tests. You only need to take the tests if you are still in England on those days.
If the test result is positive
If your day 2 test is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the test is day 0.
You do not need to take the day 8 test if your day 2 test is positive. If your day 2 test is negative, you must take your day 8 test.
If your day 8 test is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the day 8 test is day 0.
If the test result is negative
If your day 2 test is negative, you must continue to quarantine.
You must take your day 8 test on or after day 8.
If your day 8 test is negative, you can stop quarantine on whichever is later:
- day 10 – day 0 is the day you arrived in England
- when you receive the day 8 test result.
Red list countries and territories
There are different rules if you have been in a red list country or territory in the 10 days before you arrive in England. If you need to follow red list rules, you must do so even if you are fully vaccinated.
Check which countries and territories are on the red list and read the red list rules.