UK removes all travel restrictions ahead of Easter holidays

Even unvaccinated passengers do not need to take a PCR test to travel to the UK

The British government will drop all Covid-19 restrictions on international travel from 4am Friday 18 March.

From 4am on 18 March, travellers entering the UK will no longer need to take tests or complete a passenger locator form, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not. Instead, the UK government has devised contingency plans to manage any future ‘variants of concern’ or VoCs.

The government statement read: ‘From 4am Friday 18 March, all Covid-19 travel restrictions will be lifted, including the passenger locator form (PLF) for arrivals into UK, as well as all tests for passengers who do not qualify as vaccinated. This change, therefore, removes the need for unvaccinated passengers to take a pre-departure test and a day 2 post arrival test.’

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The move comes after the success of the UK’s vaccine and booster rollout, with 86% of the population having received a second dose and 67% of the population having had a booster or third dose.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The UK is leading the world in removing all remaining Covid-19 travel restrictions, and this announcement is a testament to the hard work everyone in this country has put in place to roll out the vaccine and protect each other.

“I said we wouldn’t keep travel measures in place for any longer than necessary, which we’re delivering on today – providing more welcome news and greater freedom for travellers ahead of the Easter holidays.”