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March 28, 2024, 05:53:48 PM

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International travel rules announced

Started by Fambo Number Mive, May 07, 2021, 06:32:12 PM

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Ferris

Another shout for printing everything out. One thing fewer that can go wrong (not that anything will go wrong, just a source of potential stress removed).

You can't be denied entry to the UK (it's one of the rights of citizenship) so worst, worst case scenario is a 500 quid fine that isn't exactly great news but it's not like you'll be left to wander international airports forever like Tom Hanks if you don't give them the paper in the right order.

Anecdotally, they check absolutely nothing and wave you in[nb]which I can believe - the last time I went through Heathrow nobody stamped our (Canadian) passports so technically I don't think we ever entered the country. I asked the guy to stamp my son's (first trip to the motherland and all that) and he said "oh no I don't have a stamp, I usually do the bags but they called me up to handle overflow. This was midweek in an industry that knows exactly how many passengers it will have to deal with day to day. The idea of them having the manpower of resources to even slightly enforce this is laughable.[/nb]

Attila

Ah, cool, nugget & FWB -- yeah, i'm now inside the 48 hours window, and I've got a fresh gmail (and my covid Day 2 code), so fingers crossed I can faff off to a quiet corner and sort that.

We have a printer here at the house where I'm staying, although of course it's being an arse-pain at the moment (apparently it hasn't been used in a while, so it keeps insisting there is no battery in it when there is) -- but yep, I'm all about the printouts. I've got a dedicated plastic file folder with all the get-into-Spain, so will add the get-out-of-Spain docs.

Meanwhile, the people I'm staying with (who have been haw hawing all my stressing and paperwork) have now realised that they need to have the pre-travel covid tests, and are running around trying to get them booked this afternoon in between other stuff they have to do, all in a state of panic.

Attila

Gah, what a palaver. Got my passenger locator sorted -- with luck we can get this printer to work, but I have both pDFs available here on my laptop.

The form wanted me to upload my covid vaccine paperwork, and first time, said the official pdf was 'too small.' So I took a photo of it -- nope, can't read it. Just bring it along for scanning. aaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggghhhhhhhhh.

Then my bro wants me to come out to the USA around January -- I'm like, let me get this adventure sorted before I even think about the next one...

katzenjammer

Flying to the UK with my 13 year old son on Friday to see the 'rents for the first time in two years. I'm really, really tempted to just shove some random letters in the covid test box of the passenger locator form. We are arriving late on Friday night and returning less than 48 hours later so don't see what the point is in forking out £100[nb]cheapest I can see for two pcr tests[/nb] for the day 2 tests. We'll be back in Spain long before we get the results

Fr.Bigley

It's a piece of piss boys, I did it in July/August when the tests were enforced fully and everything went smoothly, they're also dripping isolation for double jabbed soon too and a free lateral flow on return. All is returning to normal slowly. 

Attila

& the finale for closure -- BA wouldn't allow me to check in online; turns out, no one on my flight was allowed to check in online, and were told we had to do so at the airport. This led to enormous queues of people who had to check in on the one hand, and people who did not have the required paperwork on the other (or who did have the docs, but on their phones/tablets, and ended up with the BA folks not accepting them on the phones/tablets, or the people trying to shuffle through their files to find whatever doc the BA check in person wanted.) Deffo if you can, print everything out.

I was super lucky to be staying with someone who had a home office, so I had everything printed out; the check in person had a shuffle through them, but the key thing she wanted was the passenger locator form. Some of the other people in the queue also said that they'd had a right faff getting that form sorted, burning through several emails addresses because once you start the form on one email address, you have to see it through completion. Otherwise, you can't return to the form, and you can't log back in on that email, because you'll get an error message either saying 'page not found' or that that email is already registered to 'an unconfirmed user.' Add in the site constantly crashing, and you end up with a bit of a mess.

Fortunately, my stuff passed muster, so a quick check and done. Everyone keeps saying, 'Oh, they don't even look at your paperwork in the UK' -- that's because it's expected that it's done at the foreign end before you get on the flight. So thinking that you don't have to do it because they don't look at the paperwork at Heathrow is misleading -- as the couple ahead of me in the queue found out. They hadn't bothered to do the passenger locator form because they'd heard that no one checks them in the UK; the BA check in person told them they weren't getting on the plane without it. Christ knows how they sorted it -- it's 5 pages long, and as above, it's not the easier or quickest thing to fill out.

Anyway, back in England now, got to do the Day 2 PCR thing tomorrow, and then on to the fresh new hell of a new semester at a university that has dropped all social distancing, masks, and hygiene practices because the gov't has said it's ok, covid doesn't exist any more now. So all live lectures, seminars, and tutorials; no working/teaching from home permitted. Huzzah!

Theremin

Is there a simple explanation anywhere of what actually has to done to visit the UK at this point?

I was hoping to pop over from NL, but the constantly changing regulations have me pretty baffled.

Zetetic

It depends slightly on which country of the UK you're travelling to from outside the UK, but here is a reasonable starting point if you're travelling to the worst one.

Before you fly, you need:
- A pre-flight negative test from the 72 hours prior to departure that meets certain standards.
- To complete a passenger locator form]complete a passenger locator form in the 48 hours prior to departure.

After you arrive, you will need:
- A test on day 2 from a private supplier, at your own cost. Which suppliers are acceptable depends on the country in the UK that you're travelling to

You may also then need, if you're travelling from an "Amber list" country (which I believe the Netherlands currently is):
- A test on day 8, with the same conditions as the day 2 test.

beanheadmcginty

Quote from: Theremin on September 16, 2021, 09:07:49 AM
Is there a simple explanation anywhere of what actually has to done to visit the UK at this point?

I was hoping to pop over from NL, but the constantly changing regulations have me pretty baffled.

I popped back to the UK from NL a couple of weeks ago and had no problems getting there or back (I went on the Eurostar). I did the following:

- A week before travel I ordered a Day 2 PCR test to be delivered to my mate's house in London, it arrived there within a couple of days. Cost £50. Use this site to find one, it is really easy to use and not trying to rip you off: https://www.covid19-testing.org/travel-testing

- Got a free antigen test done at one of the local clinics we have in Amsterdam less than 24 hours before setting off. Got the results emailed to me within an hour. They were in English.

- Filled in the UK passenger locator form the morning before I set off. Didn't have to upload anything like Attila. Just had to put in the code number of the day 2 PCR test I had on order.

- Sailed through both Amsterdam and St Pancras rail stations with nobody checking anything except my passport.

- Did the day 2 PCR test at my mate's house, got drunk and forgot to post it until a day late.

- Received a negative result by email a couple of days later. No one mentioned that it was late.

- Had fun in the UK for a couple of weeks

- Day before returning to Amsterdam discovered that NL require a negative antigen test. Quickly booked myself into a dodgy clinic in Dalston and got that done. £60 and results emailed within the hour.

- Eurostar back to Amsterdam. Once again, nobody checked any paperwork except my passport at either end. I even offered to show my EU vaccination app thing and NL residency card and the border guard said "don't worry, I trust you".

Theremin

Thanks all!

Genuinely tempted by the Eurostar now.


Zetetic

Enjoying how much German bureaucracy makes me realise how much worse British bureaucracy could be.

Just had an email from a local government office that makes two completely contradictory claims in the body of the email and a PDF attachment, neither of which are relevant to anyone that exists.



imitationleather

If I manage to get through this entire pandemic without sticking a swab into my skull I'll be one happy cunt.

Ferris

Quote from: imitationleather on September 17, 2021, 05:43:23 PM
If I manage to get through this entire pandemic without sticking a swab into my skull I'll be one happy cunt.

People here go for tests for fun. Get on our level.

Even the nipper has had two.

Quote from: beanheadmcginty on September 16, 2021, 10:36:12 AM
I popped back to the UK from NL a couple of weeks ago and had no problems getting there or back (I went on the Eurostar). I did the following:

- A week before travel I ordered a Day 2 PCR test to be delivered to my mate's house in London, it arrived there within a couple of days. Cost £50. Use this site to find one, it is really easy to use and not trying to rip you off: https://www.covid19-testing.org/travel-testing

- Got a free antigen test done at one of the local clinics we have in Amsterdam less than 24 hours before setting off. Got the results emailed to me within an hour. They were in English.

- Filled in the UK passenger locator form the morning before I set off. Didn't have to upload anything like Attila. Just had to put in the code number of the day 2 PCR test I had on order.

- Sailed through both Amsterdam and St Pancras rail stations with nobody checking anything except my passport.

- Did the day 2 PCR test at my mate's house, got drunk and forgot to post it until a day late.

- Received a negative result by email a couple of days later. No one mentioned that it was late.

- Had fun in the UK for a couple of weeks

- Day before returning to Amsterdam discovered that NL require a negative antigen test. Quickly booked myself into a dodgy clinic in Dalston and got that done. £60 and results emailed within the hour.

- Eurostar back to Amsterdam. Once again, nobody checked any paperwork except my passport at either end. I even offered to show my EU vaccination app thing and NL residency card and the border guard said "don't worry, I trust you".

@beanheadmcginty or @theremin do either of you know what would be required covid wise for someone flying ams - gatwick on Friday night returning on sunday night?

Shoulders?-Stomach!

When are the PCR test requirements being scrapped? Online fraudster Grant Shapps unhelpfully tweeted 'later in October', which is fucking unhelpful, the news reported that then it went quiet.

katzenjammer

4th October. The day after my trip to the UK

Attila

Apparently someone on my flight back from Spain had covid, as the NHS/passenger locator people contacted me to tell me I'd been in proximity of someone who'd tested positive and to isolate immediately.

Filled in my forms, had another PCR test (neg), so I don't need to isolate -- but my phone has completely blown up with texts and calls from contract tracers. I've had to switch it off -- I've had maybe 20 calls in the past 24 hours, throughout the day and a couple in the middle of the night. I did speak to one of them, telling them that I'd done the NHS forms online, I don't have to isolate, please stop calling and texting me.

Good times.

Mobbd

#140
Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on September 22, 2021, 07:21:38 AM
When are the PCR test requirements being scrapped? Online fraudster Grant Shapps unhelpfully tweeted 'later in October', which is fucking unhelpful, the news reported that then it went quiet.

From that Guardian news item I linked above:

QuoteFrom 4 October, fully vaccinated travellers will no longer need to take a test before departing for England.

From the end of October, while people will still need to take a test within two days of returning, this can be a cheaper lateral flow test rather than a PCR.

Also remember that this is all for fully-vaxed people and green-list counties. If anyone reading this thinks that doesn't apply to them, go and get yourself properly vaxxed and forget about going to red-list countries for now.

katzenjammer

Oh thanks, and sorry for misleading people earlier. I'm betting I'm not the only one that got that wrong. Still trying to wring those last few quid out of the PCR racket

Mobbd

Quote from: katzenjammer on September 22, 2021, 11:55:08 AM
Oh thanks, and sorry for misleading people earlier. I'm betting I'm not the only one that got that wrong. Still trying to wring those last few quid out of the PCR racket

Oh, it's totally confusing. All of it, never mind keeping abreast of the changes. The government web pages about this are abject piss.

Mobbd

Has anyone here applied for a Pass Sanitaire yet? It's essentially France's covid passport and tourists from beyond the EU need to have it. I'd like to hear about the process of getting one, and other people following this thread might find it useful too.

Without a Pass Sanitaire, it seems you won't be allowed into public buildings or even into shops and restaurants, so you'd probably have very shit time without one.

It's good that all of this stuff is communicated loudly in media and/or at the point of paying for passage to France, isn't it? Jeez.

(I bet other EU countries have their equivalent too).

The UK's government's advice about it appears in the last paragraph of the "Travel in France" section of the Foreign Travel to France page (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/coronavirus) and in bewilderingly complex and contradictory detail in the "Public Spaces and Services" section beneath that paragraph. At several points it says we can consult the French government for more information (i.e. any information really) but of course that is all in French, which Google Translate doesn't do a particularly sophisticated job of translating. No idea why gov.uk can't provide coherent information about this simple and very important thing.

Anyway, yeah, any shareable experiences concerning this would be gratefully received.

nugget

To be fair, I've found the instructions on the gov.uk website to be pretty clear if you can find the right page. All the info is there:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england

Regarding Pass Sanitaire, it seems you can download their app and upload your NHS vaccination proof:

https://uk.ambafrance.org/Health-pass-and-vaccination-in-the-UK


Mobbd

Quote from: nugget on September 22, 2021, 02:42:15 PM
Regarding Pass Sanitaire, it seems you can download their app and upload your NHS vaccination proof:

https://uk.ambafrance.org/Health-pass-and-vaccination-in-the-UK

That is very helpful, nugget. Thank you.

I've downloaded the app and used it to scan my NHS Scotland QR codes. It worked! And I was presented with a new QR code for presenting to venues in France.

The app in the both Apple app store and Goodle Play is called TousAntiCovid and the icon on my phone reads as AntiCovid. All of the text inside the app is English by default (presumably it can detect the language of my phone). After getting it "activated" (it needs access to your bluetooth and for you to allow push notifications), I was able to scan my NHS QR codes. It then gave me a new QR code on a brightly-lit screen to be presented to venue staff. It even has a little note about what to tell them if it doesn't scan the first time(they have to reset their scanner). Obviously, I'll be happier when I've used it at the door of a real place but this all feels positive.

Mobbd

Just wanted to report that I visited Paris for a few days and it all worked fairly well.

We were asked for our NHS vaccine pass at the outgoing airport. The app failed briefly but came back to life after a refresh. I also knew I had the paper version to fall back on if needed (which it wasn't).

The FFP2 mask I think we were told in advance to wear on the plane was not expected. Few other passengers had brought one. France, however, insists on blue surgical masks (no cloth masks)[nb]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/25/france-bans-homemade-covid-masks-public[/nb], which we only learned at the airport but thankfully they were available from the airline team at the gate.

The sworn statement we had to sign, declaring we had no covid symptoms, was asked about at the outgoing airport but not taken from us or looked at closely. It was neither asked for nor taken at Paris airport.

The various post-Brexit bits and bobs like proof of savings, proof of travel insurance, address of hotel, return ticket were not asked for at either airport.

In Paris itself, the domestic AntiCovid app was asked for in most places we visited. A member of staff or a special greeter would scan it with ease and we all got on with our lives. Great stuff.

So yeah, it all worked well. The people of Paris seem sensible with mask use and distancing. The Metro was busier than one would like and I saw a few nose-breathers but nothing compared to England.[nb]I live in Glasgow where I'd say people are about 70-80% sensible but I visited my family in the Midlands recently and it's like they've all completely forgotten about covid and I felt embarrassed/non-conformist to wear my mask in a busy marketplace[/nb] Most Parisians I saw even wear their surgical masks outdoors.

The Day 2 covid test on return was a piece of piss but annoyingly expensive at £68 where England (I believe) can use cheapsies.

Happy to answer experience-based questions concerning covid- and documentation-based nervousness should anyone ask.

Janie Jones

Quote from: Mobbd on November 01, 2021, 03:35:41 PM


The Day 2 covid test on return was a piece of piss but annoyingly expensive at £68...

I went to Spain for the first half of October, no problems outgoing because we're double jabbed. But we had to pay 44€ each for the 'Day 2' test before we could get home to Ldn and at Jerez airport we had to show proof that we had ordered them. The (fiendishly complicated) tests were waiting on the doormat when we got home. Over 2 weeks later we still haven't done them or sent them off. We haven't been chased up. If anyone can advise whether I'd better still do the fucking thing or just forget all about it now they've got their fucking money, I'd appreciate it.

Mobbd

Quote from: Janie Jones on November 01, 2021, 04:03:09 PM
I went to Spain for the first half of October, no problems outgoing because we're double jabbed. But we had to pay 44€ each for the 'Day 2' test before we could get home to Ldn and at Jerez airport we had to show proof that we had ordered them.

We had to order ours in advance and put the confirmation number on the passenger locator form before the return flight. That was a step I forgot to mention in my post above. Order the test in advance (from home), folks, and save the code for when you complete that form (from abroad) a day before your return flight.

Quote from: Janie Jones on November 01, 2021, 04:03:09 PM
The (fiendishly complicated) tests were waiting on the doormat when we got home. Over 2 weeks later we still haven't done them or sent them off. We haven't been chased up. If anyone can advise whether I'd better still do the fucking thing or just forget all about it now they've got their fucking money, I'd appreciate it.

Good question. I've been wondering that myself. I think they can impose a whopping great fine on people who don't do it. So, you know, do it, especially if you've already paid and received the test. But I do wonder how they enforce that. Idle threat probably.

Janie Jones