By now, you may have heard of a new, upcoming legislation that would incur a £5000 fine should you travel outside of the UK without what is classified as a “reasonable reason”. Of course, the legislation has yet to be passed, however there’s a lot of questions that need to be answered. Such as, will the rules of testing be the same? How do I know if my reasons for travel fit the exemption guidelines? The guidelines that come with the new proposed law leave a vague description that can very much be up for interpretation.

If you are feeling unsure about whether you can still travel under this legislation, here’s our quick guide to the ‘reasonable reasons’ given as exemptions:

Under the new travel law, non-essential travel is prohibited unless:

1. You are travelling for work, study or volunteer purposes.
2. You are travelling for residential purposes (to rent, buy or sell a property)
3. To attend a wedding or funeral
4. For medical purposes such as to receive treatment
5. To visit a close relative that is very ill or to care for a close relative.
6. To fulfil a legal obligation to vote

Please refer to this link for more updates regarding this new legislation.

What does this mean for testing purposes?

You will likely need a test before you leave (fit to fly test/border entry test) and will definitely need testing when you return. You can read the full details of our guide to test to release here.

With new variants on the horizon, it is only natural that the government is wary in order not to impact the vaccine progress the UK has already made.

Don’t forget to:

• Order your day 2 and day 8 tests via the government portal
• Fill out your passenger locator/travel declaration form
• Check entry requirements to your destination – for example, some destinations need a fit to fly test conducted within 72 hours of travel, others 48 hours and so on.
• Book your PCR fit to fly test to make sure you’re ready. Our results are available the next day by 8 am or 8 pm