Travelling abroad, whether for business or a holiday, will become much easier from Friday onwards, as the UK removes all of the last remaining covid travel restrictions.
As of 0400 on Friday the 18th of March – the law on filling out passenger locator forms for those arriving in the UK will be removed, as will all of the current covid-19 testing requirements for those arriving into the country.
These changes apply to anyone flying into the UK – regardless of vaccination status.
This news comes as a welcome relief to travellers, as it will be the first time since March 2020 that travel into and out of the UK will be without regulations making travel confusing and difficult.
People travelling abroad are still likely to have to undergo tests departing the UK as many countries are still requiring conditions to be met for entry. You can view current guidelines for each country on the FCO website.
Grant Shapps (UK Transport Secretary) said he was able remove the current travel requirements due to the UK’s low Covid-19 death rate and very high vaccination levels.
He said: “These changes are possible due to our vaccine roll-out and mean greater freedom in time for Easter.”
International travel may still remain difficult for vaccinated people, as many countries are still demanding proof of vaccination, and large families may still be put off from taking their family holiday due to the cost of multiple PCR tests needed to travel to many holiday hotspots.
Let’s hope that the UK has set the tone for the rest of the world, to start relaxing restrictions and ever changing rules to take a flight!
