Quarantine requirements dropped for vaccinated adults and under 18s from EU countries and USA

From 2 August, vaccinated adults and under 18s arriving from the EU and the US will no longer need to quarantine on arrival to the UK.

This affects many of the main UK ELT markets in Europe and is a positive move for our industry. We know from speaking to member schools and agents that there is pent-up demand from students. We look forward to seeing more students in our classrooms in the coming months.

The changes summarised below have been confirmed by all four UK nations.

> See the new amber rules on GOV.UK

Fully vaccinated EU and US arrivals exempt from quarantine

Adults from the following countries will no longer need to quarantine on arrival, provided they are fully vaccinated using an approved vaccine:

• All EU member states except for France (see details below)
• The four European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – and the European microstates of Andorra, Monaco and Vatican City
• USA

Conditions:

They must be fully vaccinated with a vaccine authorised by:

• the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Europe
• Swissmedic for Switzerland
• the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the USA

They must have had their final dose of the vaccine at least 14 days before they arrive.

They will need to show the airline, ferry or train company proof of vaccination with:

• an EU Digital COVID Certificate (EU DCC) for Europe
• a US CDC card for the USA – alongside proof of USA residency

Those exempt from quarantine will still need to take a pre-departure test, book a test for day two after arrival to the UK and complete the Passenger Locator Form. See testing requirements for under 18s below.

Children under 18 travelling from the EU and USA

Children under 18 at the time of their arrival who are ordinarily resident in one of the above-mentioned countries (except for France) will also be exempt from quarantine requirements.

Testing requirements for under 18s

All children aged 11 to 17 need proof of a negative COVID-19 test before travel (children aged 10 and under are exempt from this).

Those aged five years and above need to book a test on or before day 2 after their arrival. They do not need to complete a day eight test if they are travelling from one of the countries listed above.

Children under five years do not need to take any kind of test.

Arrivals from France

The above relaxation does not apply to people travelling from France or who have been in France in the 10 days before arrival in England. All arrivals from France must quarantine for 10 days and take a pre-departure Covid-19 test, a PCR test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 even if fully vaccinated.

The above restrictions include anyone travelling through France by car or coach. Those travelling on a train service who do not disembark in France at any point, may be exempt from the requirement to quarantine; we recommend they check this with their operator before booking.

While this latest announcement is a step forward for UK ELT, border restrictions and ongoing uncertainty continue to prevent students travelling from many of our source markets. We are also aware that this change comes very late in the critical summer season. At English UK we will not stop pushing for the government support that our members so desperately need and deserve. 

Further travel information on the English with Confidence website

Visit the new English with Confidence website for full information on the Covid travel rules for students travelling to the UK for an English language course.