Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊

[Travel] Anyone been on hols to Spain recently? (Covid test question)



Jim in the West

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Sep 13, 2003
4,568
Way out West
I'm probably being incredibly thick, but I'm trying to understand everything I need to do in order to get back into the UK after visiting Spain! I have most things sussed (I think), but the key question is the pre-departure test which we need to take before getting the flight home. I think we can just order this here, and take it with us. But interested to hear if anyone else has recently come back from Spain and has any tips/advice....?
 




bhanutz

Well-known member
Aug 23, 2005
5,998
I'm probably being incredibly thick, but I'm trying to understand everything I need to do in order to get back into the UK after visiting Spain! I have most things sussed (I think), but the key question is the pre-departure test which we need to take before getting the flight home. I think we can just order this here, and take it with us. But interested to hear if anyone else has recently come back from Spain and has any tips/advice....?

Hi. Came back 2 weeks ago. I think you can order them here but I just took an antigen test in a clinic over there and had the results in half an hour... Very simple and cost €35.
 


VAL1850

Well-known member
Nov 22, 2008
1,924
Beachy Head & WSU
Just back from Spain, currently you need a lateral flow test Antigen test within 72hrs of departure, Malaga airport cheapest at 25 euros, many clinics around at 35 euros, this will give you a certificate. You néed to fill in the UK locator form on line at UK. Gov. Also yo will need a PCR test organised prior to test 48hrs after UK arrival, mine cost £61 including postage each way, you need the booking number for the UK locator.

To get I to Spain you need to fill in the Spanish locator form. You need and /or two Jabs NHS cert or a lateral flow test cert
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
59,627
The Fatherland
Just back from Spain, currently you need a lateral flow test Antigen test within 72hrs of departure, Malaga airport cheapest at 25 euros, many clinics around at 35 euros, this will give you a certificate. You néed to fill in the UK locator form on line at UK. Gov. Also yo will need a PCR test organised prior to test 48hrs after UK arrival, mine cost £61 including postage each way, you need the booking number for the UK locator.

Wouldn’t happen in Germany.
 


Springal

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2005
23,849
GOSBTS
I'd recommend getting an anti gen test out there. Should be 30-35 euros (I thought Spain law was 30 eur Anti gen, 90eur PCR)

Alternatively I did use https://www.chronomics.com/test-to-return for one trip which was a piece of cake. £28
 




Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
Just back from Spain, currently you need a lateral flow test Antigen test within 72hrs of departure, Malaga airport cheapest at 25 euros, many clinics around at 35 euros, this will give you a certificate. You néed to fill in the UK locator form on line at UK. Gov. Also yo will need a PCR test organised prior to test 48hrs after UK arrival, mine cost £61 including postage each way, you need the booking number for the UK locator.

To get I to Spain you need to fill in the Spanish locator form. You need and /or two Jabs NHS cert or a lateral flow test cert

Concise and 100% what is required I think, although when I came back from France last month the Antigen was only valid for 24 hours and the PCR for 72 hours, has the Antigen validity been extended recently?
 


Weststander

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Aug 25, 2011
64,066
Withdean area
Before you go:

- Make sure you all have the NHS Covid Pass app, renewed in the last 30 days before travel. We also had hard copies of the actual certificates or passes just in case.
- https://www.spth.gob.es/ Complete Spain's locator form for the group, no more than 48 hours before flying.

Whilst there:
- on the third day before returning so that you get the results in time, many hotels (contact them directly now) or using your own choice of a lab with a courier who comes to you (there's plenty of choice!!), take PCR, Lamp or LF tests. This must be by a provider meeting standards, not your own tests.
- https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk Complete UK passenger locator form.

Once home:
- on the day after returning, submit Day-2 PCR test samples. You can do this yourselves, have the kits waiting for your return. We used https://www.randoxhealth.com/ who have box drop-off post boxes everywhere.

Before both flights, complete the airline's online requirements, which will include uploading the above.
 


Bakero

Languidly clinical
Oct 9, 2010
13,797
Almería
Concise and 100% what is required I think, although when I came back from France last month the Antigen was only valid for 24 hours and the PCR for 72 hours, has the Antigen validity been extended recently?

From the government's website:

Type of test
The test must meet performance standards of ≥97% specificity, ≥80% sensitivity at viral loads above 100,000 copies/ml.

This could include tests such as:

a PCR test
a LAMP test
an antigen test, such as an LFD (lateral flow device) test
You must check with your test provider that the test meets the standards. You may not be able to travel if it does not.

Travel from Spain and its islands
If you are travelling to England from Spain, including the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands (Formentera, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca), you are advised to take a PCR type test before travel.


Whatever test it is must be taken in the 3 days before you travel. ie. If you travelling on Friday, you can do the test on Thursday, Wednesday or Tuesday.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronav...for-people-travelling-to-england#type-of-test
 












Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015


Trufflehound

Re-enfranchised
Aug 5, 2003
14,108
The democratic and free EU
Where you getting this info from?

It doesn't. It is 72 hours

Fair enough, accepted. The rules flying to the UK may be different to the ones I read. When I read 'test 72 hours before' I kind of assumed it meant the more reliable PCR test, but on closer inspection it doesn't specify.

I'm flying to the UK on Friday and taking a PCR test this evening.

When I fly back to the Netherlands a week later I have a choice of PCR test max 48 hours before, or antigen test no more than 24 hours (https://reizentijdenscorona.rijksoverheid.nl/en/verenigd-koninkrijk/vliegtuig?tot=2021-09-24)

I made the probably incorrect assumption that the antigen tests had a shorter validity everywhere on the grounds of them being a bit shitter and less reliable.
 


Jim in the West

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Sep 13, 2003
4,568
Way out West
Great suff - much appreciated. I think I'm clear now :)

We actually went to Mexico in April for a family wedding, and it seemed a lot more straight-forward then (even though we had to self-isolate for ten days on return, which wasn't great).

I'm beginning to realise why so few people are going abroad for their hols this year....and why the travel industry is so upset about all the testing we have to do (compared to most other European countries).
 




Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
Concise and 100% what is required I think, although when I came back from France last month the Antigen was only valid for 24 hours and the PCR for 72 hours, has the Antigen validity been extended recently?

Antigen valid for 48 hours now, and local pharmacy doing it for 25€.
Day 2 test ordered from Randox waiting at home.
 




dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,497
Burgess Hill
Away ATM, this time have a Chronomics kit with us to do lateral flow here, and another (PCR) arriving at home for the day 2 test. £20 each with tour operator's discount

I then have a week before needing to do an entry test for another trip, then a test the day after arriving to be able to come home, then another 2 day test.......

[emoji849][emoji849]

Looks like being relaxed somewhat from 22/9, which is great news.
 


dolphins

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
5,251
BN1, in GOSBTS
Away ATM, this time have a Chronomics kit with us to do lateral flow here, and another (PCR) arriving at home for the day 2 test. £20 each with tour operator's discount

I then have a week before needing to do an entry test for another trip, then a test the day after arriving to be able to come home, then another 2 day test.......

[emoji849][emoji849]

Looks like being relaxed somewhat from 22/9, which is great news.

We've just got back from Mallorca, travelling with First Choice (part of TUI) - presume the same for you? - and also used the Chronomics £20 deal for LFT within 72 hours of your return flight, and the PCR on day 2 of return. With FC/TUI Chronomics tests you can get the results quickly by taking in to a participating TUI travel agency - I dropped mine in to the one by the clock tower in the centre of Brighton late morning on Monday, by early evening the lab in Nottingham confirmed receipt and that they were working on them, and the next morning had the results. Nice and straightforward. Quicker than posting them through the Royal Mail (they DO come with an post-paid envelope to post them back in).

The paperwork side of things is laborious but actually not too bad. The Spanish government's Passenger Locator Form website is better than the UK's - if travelling as a family/group, you can add all passengers onto the same application, but the UK's PLF insists each person completes their own separately (or muggins does all of them while everyone else is in the sunshine enjoying themselves! :annoyed: ). The UK's one also has some oddly worded bits (IIRC it asks "Country of issue" for passport but the answer probably for most of us is "British Citizen"!). There are instructions - the UK's runs to around 35 pages although oddly doesn't cover all the stuff, but thankfully you should be able to figure out the missing bits. The Spanish instructions are only around 20 pages and a bit clearer! :lol:

Echo the value of having the LFT result printed out, along with the UK PLF for each person (just the first of the four pages you get for each person, as it has a QR code). Also everyone have the NHS app to show your Covid vaccination status too. Seems like most of the checking is being done at the check-in desks for the airlines; when we got back to Gatwick we breezed through the eGates with nothing else needed/asked for. I have a feeling that hotels without Business Centres are now very used to printing things off for their guests these days!
 




dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,497
Burgess Hill
We've just got back from Mallorca, travelling with First Choice (part of TUI) - presume the same for you? - and also used the Chronomics £20 deal for LFT within 72 hours of your return flight, and the PCR on day 2 of return. With FC/TUI Chronomics tests you can get the results quickly by taking in to a participating TUI travel agency - I dropped mine in to the one by the clock tower in the centre of Brighton late morning on Monday, by early evening the lab in Nottingham confirmed receipt and that they were working on them, and the next morning had the results. Nice and straightforward. Quicker than posting them through the Royal Mail (they DO come with an post-paid envelope to post them back in).

The paperwork side of things is laborious but actually not too bad. The Spanish government's Passenger Locator Form website is better than the UK's - if travelling as a family/group, you can add all passengers onto the same application, but the UK's PLF insists each person completes their own separately (or muggins does all of them while everyone else is in the sunshine enjoying themselves! :annoyed: ). The UK's one also has some oddly worded bits (IIRC it asks "Country of issue" for passport but the answer probably for most of us is "British Citizen"!). There are instructions - the UK's runs to around 35 pages although oddly doesn't cover all the stuff, but thankfully you should be able to figure out the missing bits. The Spanish instructions are only around 20 pages and a bit clearer! :lol:

Echo the value of having the LFT result printed out, along with the UK PLF for each person (just the first of the four pages you get for each person, as it has a QR code). Also everyone have the NHS app to show your Covid vaccination status too. Seems like most of the checking is being done at the check-in desks for the airlines; when we got back to Gatwick we breezed through the eGates with nothing else needed/asked for. I have a feeling that hotels without Business Centres are now very used to printing things off for their guests these days!

Yep, TUI package. We’re in Madeira now so didn’t have to test to enter, but I’m going to Portugal next week which has different rules 🙄🙄 The Madeira entry stuff is brilliantly efficient, as is arrival. No queues and took no more than a minute or two, and registration for their locator was easy.
 


Tom Hark Preston Park

Will Post For Cash
Jul 6, 2003
70,246
Re: that Fit-To-Fly test to get home. How difficult is it to get through boarding without a printed certificate? Do they just ask for the text confirmation? Or do they want to see the pdf/email confirmation?

Asking for a friend that's flying out at easyjet o'clock the morning after the Leicester game and doesn't really fancy mixing it with 20,000 anti-maskers at the Amex :whistle:
 


Albion and Premier League latest from Sky Sports


Top
Link Here