Travel to England from China COVID-19 rules - Jan 2023

Traveling to England from China from the 8th January 2023? Before you leave, check the new COVID-19 rules for travel to England, including whether you need to take any tests.

Travel from mainland China

If you are traveling to England from China mainland, the rules of entering the country are different compared to other countries and territories

  • You will need to take a COVID-19 test no more than 2 days before you travel, if you’re aged 12 or older.

  • When you leave mainland China for England, you will need to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test result. Your airline will check this, and you might need to provide it to Border Force when you arrive in England as well.

This applies to all flights departing from mainland China, including direct flights and indirect flights. An indirect flight involves a stop in another country or territory before arriving in England. This applies even if you are travelling through Macao or Hong Kong.

The new Covid-19 rules for those traveling from mainland China to England apply regardless of whether England is your final destination, or if you will be just transiting through England.

You will need to provide the original Covid-19 test result notification and make sure your test result are in either English, French or Spanish.

Your test result can be provided as:

  • a printed document

  • an email or text message you can show on your phone – make sure your device is charged

Your Covd-19 test result must include the following information:

  • your name, which should match the name on your travel documents

  • your date of birth or age

  • the result of the test

  • the date the test sample was collected or received by the test provider

  • the name of the test provider and their contact details

  • confirmation of the type of test taken, this can be a lateral flow or PCR

You will need to retain your notification of a negative COVID-19 test result until you have passed through the UK border and make a note you cannot use an NHS-provided test as a pre-departure test.

Those traveling from mainland China to Englad starting with the 8th January may be fined if they do not follow these travel rules.

Exceptions:

If you have a work-related exemption or if you have a reasonable excuse, you may not need to take a pre-departure test. Please check before you departure if you are exempt.

  • From 8 January 2023, some passengers will be invited to take a voluntary test on arrival to monitor for potential new variants. This applies to passengers aged 18 or over who are travelling from mainland China and arriving at Heathrow Airport only.

Travel from all other countries and territories to England

When you travel to England, you:

  • do not need to complete a UK passenger locator form before you travel

  • do not need to take any COVID-19 tests before you travel or after you arrive

  • do not need to quarantine when you arrive

This applies whether you are vaccinated or not.

It includes people who are transiting through England.

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