By Dr Roger Tyers 21 September 2021 Coronavirus: International Travel FAQs for England Summary 1 International Travel Restrictions 2 Vaccinations and Travel 3 Managed ‘Hotel’ Quarantine 4 Financial costs incurred due to travel regulations commonslibrary.parliament.uk Number CBP-9203 Coronavirus: International Travel FAQs for England Contributing Authors Sarah Barber, Testing, Science and Environment; Daniel Ferguson, Employment, Business and Transport; Lorraine Conway, Flight refunds, Home Affairs Image Credits 20110411-143436 Birmingham airport by Druh Scoff. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 / image cropped. Disclaimer The Commons Library does not intend the information in our research publications and briefings to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. We have published it to support the work of MPs. You should not rely upon it as legal or professional advice, or as a substitute for it. 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If you have general questions about the work of the House of Commons email [email protected]. 2 Commons Library Research Briefing, 21 September 2021 Coronavirus: International Travel FAQs for England Contents 1 International Travel Restrictions 6 1.1 What was the international travel ban? 6 1.2 Has the travel ban ended? 6 1.3 What does the Traffic Light system mean? 7 1.4 What Covid-19 testing is required before and after arrival in England? 10 1.5 Which jobs are exempt from travel restrictions? 11 1.6 What is the “test to release” scheme? 11 1.7 When will the lists of countries be reviewed? 12 1.8 What are the criteria for the different country lists? 12 1.9 Can I travel to ‘Amber’ or ‘Red’ countries? 13 1.10 Do the restrictions apply if I transit through a Red or Amber country? 14 1.11 What does ‘Amber Plus’ mean? 15 1.12 When will the Traffic Light System end? 15 2 Vaccinations and Travel 19 2.1 I’ve been vaccinated in the UK. Do I still need to get tests and quarantine? 19 2.2 How do I prove I’ve been vaccinated? 20 2.3 Can I use my NHS Covid Pass to skip quarantine in other countries?21 2.4 I’ve been vaccinated in a foreign country. Can I skip quarantine when entering England from an amber country? 22 2.5 I cannot or will not be vaccinated. Will I be able to use the NHS Covid Pass? 23 2.6 I was in a Covid-19 Clinical Trial. Will I be able to use the NHS Covid Pass? 24 3 Commons Library Research Briefing, 21 September 2021 Coronavirus: International Travel FAQs for England 3 Managed ‘Hotel’ Quarantine 25 3.1 What is hotel quarantine for travel from “red list” countries? 25 3.2 Are there any exemptions from Hotel quarantine? 25 3.3 Can I leave hotel quarantine to attend a funeral or visit a dying relative? 28 3.4 What if I cannot afford to pay for Hotel Quarantine? 28 4 Financial costs incurred due to travel regulations 29 4.1 What if I cannot work during self-isolation? 29 4.2 I can’t fly because of lockdown, but my flight wasn’t cancelled, what are my options? 31 4.3 What is the Government doing about missed or cancelled flights? 32 4 Commons Library Research Briefing, 21 September 2021 Coronavirus: International Travel FAQs for England Summary This paper answers frequently asked questions about how international travel from and to the UK is currently affected by restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The international travel ban ended in England on 17 May 2021 and has been replaced by a ‘traffic light’ system of restrictions. People entering England must adhere to different rules depending on whether they have come from a ‘green’, ‘amber’ or ‘red’ country. The main restrictions are that, upon arrival, those entering the UK from a red country are required to undergo managed hotel quarantine for ten days, and those entering from an amber country must quarantine at home for ten days. Those who enter from a green country do not need to quarantine. All travellers are required to complete a passenger locator form and take Covid- 19 tests both before and after arrival. Other restrictions and exemptions apply. On 8 July, the Government announced that from 19 July, people arriving from amber countries who have been fully vaccinated in the UK NHS vaccine programme will no longer be required to quarantine. They will follow restrictions as though they had entered from a green list country. On 28 July, the Government announced that it would extend this quarantine-exemption to travellers fully vaccinated in the USA and most European countries too, starting on 2 August. If the Government moves a country from the green list to the amber list, that could mean that some travellers have to unexpectedly self-isolate on return to the UK and may be unable to attend work. In these circumstances, their rights to pay may be subject to whether they knowingly travelled to a country that would require them to self-isolate on return. Passengers whose flights are cancelled may be entitled to a refund. If a flight is not cancelled, but a passenger could not take it due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, they should be offered a re-scheduled flight or a refund. The Government has published a Passenger Covid-19 charter, which sets out consumer rights, responsibilities, and reasonable expectations while Covid-19 travel restrictions continue. 5 Commons Library Research Briefing, 21 September 2021 Coronavirus: International Travel FAQs for England 1 International Travel Restrictions 1.1 What was the international travel ban? During the pandemic at various stages there have been restrictions on international travel. From 29 March to 16 May 2021, there was an ban on international travel (in England), as provided for by the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Steps) (England) Regulations 2021 (The “Roadmap Regulations”). This meant that a ‘reasonable excuse’ or a work- related exemption was required to travel from England to anywhere beyond the Common Travel Area (CTA), which comprises the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands. Travellers also had to complete a travel declaration form, and present that form to relevant persons when directed to do so. Subject to reasonable excuses, the regulations made it an offence to: • leave England to travel to a destination outside the United Kingdom; or • travel to, or be present at, an embarkation point for the purpose of travelling from there to a destination outside the United Kingdom. On 7 May 2021, the Government announced that this travel ban would end on 17 May, “meaning leisure travel from England will no longer be illegal”. The lifting of the ban now applies to all regions of the United Kingdom, although different rules do apply for international travel if you are departing from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 1.2 Has the travel ban ended? Since 17 May, it has no longer been illegal to leave England to travel to a destination outside the United Kingdom. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021 1 removes the requirement for a ‘reasonable excuse’ to travel. This requirement has also been removed in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Travel declaration forms and evidence of a reasonable excuse are now no longer required when leaving England. 1Referred to henceforth in this paper as the ‘International Travel and Operator Liability Regulations’ 6 Commons Library Research Briefing, 21 September 2021 Coronavirus: International Travel FAQs for England This is in line with the Government’s ‘roadmap’ plans, published on 22 February 2021, for the easing of lockdown restrictions in England. Under step 3 of the roadmap, international travel was to resume no earlier than 17 May 2021, subject to review. As discussed in Section 1.9 below, the Government has advised against travel to countries classified as ‘amber’ or ‘red’ according to the traffic light system, until 8 July, when it was announced that the formal FCDO advice for people to not travel to amber countries will be removed from 19 July. In addition, what had been a complete ban on aircraft arriving into England directly from certain ‘red-listed’ countries was amended on 8 June. Under Section 13 of International Travel and Operator Liability Regulations, flights can enter the country from these countries (including Turkey, Brazil and UAE, at the time of writing), but only into segregated terminals at Birmingham and Heathrow airports. 1.3 What does the Traffic Light system mean? Since 17 May 2021, non-essential travel from England has been allowed to resume. For (re-)entry into England, different ‘traffic light’ restrictions apply depending on the country from which travellers enter from, and whether that country has been assigned ‘red’, ‘amber’ or ‘green’ status.