Heathrow and Gatwick: Latest travel advice for Italy, France, Spain and Germany as Covid cases surge

If you are planning on a winter getaway, it is worth checking up on the current coronavirus travel rules.

Despite the restrictions having relaxed in the few months, there are still plenty of guidelines to follow and each country has its own set of rules on arrival.

It it also important to remember that coronavirus cases are soaring across Europe – Austria has even gone into a full lockdown.

READ MORE: London Covid: UK’s chances of Christmas lockdown as Europe’s Covid cases surge

Make sure to be clued up on the current travel rules and check with your airline before travelling so that you’re fully prepared.

The Foreign Office travel advice below will have you covered for Italy, France, Spain and Germany.

Italy

Italy will accept the UK’s proof of COVID-19 recovery and vaccination record as the equivalent to a green pass.

If you travel from the UK and can demonstrate that you are fully vaccinated, you can enter Italy without needing to self-isolate if you also:

• fill in the passenger locator form (EU PLF) before you enter Italy to get a QR code to show to your travel provider and Border Police. You can ask for paper form if you do not have an electronic device

• show evidence of a negative PCR or antigen test, taken within 48 hours before entering Italy

If you are not vaccinated, to enter Italy from the UK you must:

• fill in the passenger locator form (EU PLF) to get a QR code to show to your travel provider and Border Police. You can ask for paper form if you do not have an electronic device

• show evidence of a negative PCR or antigen test, taken within 48 hours before entering Italy

• notify the Prevention Department of the local health authority of your entry into Italy. See COVID-19 Numeri verdi regionali for the contact details of local Italian health authorities

• travel to your final destination in Italy by private transport only

• remain in self-isolation for 5 days

• take another PCR or antigen test at the end of the 5 days’ self-isolation

Children under 18 do not need to quarantine if they are travelling with a fully vaccinated parent and (for those over the age of 6) have a negative PCR or antigen test.

Children under the age of 6 are exempt from testing.

Exemptions from testing may apply if you are transiting Italy in a private vehicle for less than 36 hours or travelling for proven reasons of work, health or absolute necessity, for less than 120 hours. Check the Ministry of Health website (in English). You must still complete a passenger locator form.

You can read more about the requirement to get a COVID-19 test on Italian Embassy in London’s COVID-19 update page .

France

The UK is currently on the French amber list which means entry requirements are different depending on whether you are fully vaccinated or not.

Unvaccinated (or not fully vaccinated) arrivals in France from the UK will only be permitted to travel for essential reasons.

If you are not fully vaccinated, you will need to have an essential reason to travel from France to a country on France’s amber list.

Those who are not fully vaccinated will also need to present the following documents:

• a completed International Travel Certificate to confirm their essential reason for travel. In exceptional circumstances, the French Consulate in London may be able to assist with travel for an essential reason not listed on the International Travel Certificate;

• a completed ‘sworn statement’ (déclaration sur l’honneur) form self-certifying they are not suffering from symptoms associated with coronavirus and have not been in contact with confirmed cases in the preceding fortnight, and that they will self-isolate for seven days after arrival. This can be found on the French government’s website here ;

• arrivals from the UK aged 12 years old or over are required to present evidence of a negative test (PCR or antigen) taken within 24 hours of departure (first flight departure in case of connecting flight). Self-administered tests are not accepted. Arrivals from most other amber countries will need evidence of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure or an antigen test taken within 48 hours of departure.

Travellers who are not fully vaccinated will need to self-isolate for seven days after arrival, then take another PCR test following this period of self-isolation.

Since November 1, adults travelling from the UK to France by Eurostar who are not fully vaccinated have been asked to take a Covid-19 test upon arrival at Gare du Nord.

Anyone testing positive for Covid-19 will be subject to mandatory self-isolation for 10 days.

Children aged 12 years old or over who are not fully vaccinated and travelling with a fully vaccinated adult are required to present a negative test result (PCR or antigen).

However, they do not need to provide an essential reason for travel, nor do they need to self-isolate on arrival.

Meanwhile, children aged 12 years old or over who are unvaccinated and travelling alone are subject to the same conditions adults who are not fully vaccinated.

Children aged 11 years old or younger do not need to present a negative test result to travel though.

Travellers who are fully vaccinated do not need an essential reason to travel to France and do not need to self-isolate on arrival.

Fully vaccinated travellers no longer need to present evidence of a negative test result before travel.

Fully vaccinated travellers will need to present the following documents:

• a completed ‘sworn statement’ (déclaration sur l’honneur) form self-certifying they are not suffering from symptoms associated with coronavirus and have not been in contact with confirmed cases in the preceding fortnight. This can be found on the French government’s website

• proof of vaccination status

Spain

The Spanish government requires all arrivals to Spain from the UK (excluding children under the age of 12 years old) to present on entry one of the following:

• documentation certifying that you have undertaken a Covid-19 nucleic acid amplification test (e.g. PCR, TMA, LAMP or NEAR) within 72 hours prior to arrival in Spain and tested negative. Antigen tests can only be used in certain limited circumstances;

or

• proof of being fully vaccinated (with both doses of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a one-dose vaccine) at least 14 days prior to arrival in Spain (date(s) of vaccination must be specified), with a vaccine authorised by the European Medicines Agency or by the World Health Organisation.

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All passengers (including children under 12 years old) travelling by air or sea must complete and sign an online Health Control Form no more than 48 hours prior to travel.

Spain will accept the UK’s Covid-19 vaccination record. If you are travelling with a printed PDF proof of vaccination status, it must date from November 1 to ensure that the certificate can be scanned successfully.

It’s important to note that your NHS appointment card from vaccination centres is not designed to be used as proof of vaccination and should not be used to demonstrate your vaccine status.

Certificates of recovery – which is a medical document certifying that you have recovered from Covid-19 in the last six months prior to travel – isn’t currently accepted for arrivals from the UK.

Germany

Germany is currently in the midst of a “dramatic” fourth wave of Covid and may soon follow Austria in imposing a lockdown.

The below guidance is correct at the time of writing but could change at short notice, so check before you travel.

The UK is designated as a ‘high-incidence area’ which means you can enter Germany from the UK for any travel purpose if you are fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated children under 12 years of age are allowed to enter Germany without a negative test as long as they travel with at least one fully vaccinated parent.

These children are not obliged to provide any kind of evidence but have to quarantine on arrival.

For them, quarantine ends automatically five days after entry.

All travellers entering Germany from the UK are required to complete pre-departure digital registration, regardless of vaccination status.

For those individuals eligible to enter Germany who are not fully vaccinated, travel from the UK is generally subject to 10-day quarantine with test and release available after five days.

Both individuals who can prove recovery from the virus and the fully vaccinated are exempt from quarantine requirements.

For exemption lists, visit here .

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