As of 29 January 2021, anyone arriving from any of the 33 countries available on this list will be refused entry into the UK. The list includes Portugal and South Africa alongside a host of African and South American countries. Transiting through a “safe country” will not exempt you from the list either. If you have been in one of the 33 countries in the past 10 days, you will be refused entry. Note this exclusion will not include British/Irish nationals nor those who legally reside in the UK.
As of 15 January, anyone travelling to England must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding (Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales publish their own regulations available at: Scotland, Wales, NI. The test must be taken in the three days prior to boarding. If you are travelling indirectly to England, and the journey takes more than a day, you must ensure the test is taken no more than three days before you board the final service that takes you to England. Should you fail to evidence a negative test result, you may not be able to board your transport to England. Failure to provide proof of a negative test could result in a fine of £500. Details of the test providers and further details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-people-travelling-to-england#take-a-coronavirus-test-before-you-travel-to-england. Note that these regulations apply equally to everyone.
All passengers will still be required to fill in a passenger locator form and be subject to national lockdown restrictions.
Please note that the information in this blog is current at the date and time of posting. The situation regarding policy and guidance based on the COVID-19 pandemic is subject to change at short notice. We shall be monitoring all aspects of UK immigration which may be impacted by the coronavirus closely, so please do keep updated with further blogs and articles which we will be posting on this site.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please don’t hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
Trainee Solicitor in our Complex Litigation Team
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