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[Travel] PCR test for foreign travel



shingle

Well-known member
Jan 18, 2004
3,141
Lewes
Recently arrived in Jordan and they said that anyone entering from UK must present a double vaccination certificate from NHS as well as a PCR test done within 72 hours of arrival, Mrs shingle and I rocked up in Aqaba with said docs and £86 lighter for the two tests and Jordanian Immigration weren't interested in our randox PCR tests, just wanted proof of double vaccinations, What's going on. :nono::nono:
 






Official Old Man

Uckfield Seagull
Aug 27, 2011
8,558
Brighton
I'm glad you've bought this up. I'm off to France, Belgium & Germany by car in a few weeks and can find nothing anywhere as to presice details of what we need to enter these countries.
Double jabbed and full overseas info on NHS app but do I need paperwork? What about crossing Euro borders?
 








Seagull27

Well-known member
Feb 7, 2011
3,309
Bristol
I'm glad you've bought this up. I'm off to France, Belgium & Germany by car in a few weeks and can find nothing anywhere as to presice details of what we need to enter these countries.
Double jabbed and full overseas info on NHS app but do I need paperwork? What about crossing Euro borders?

Worth checking the government website, and the respective sites for each country - check covid entry requirements

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements

But if it's anything like my recent trip to Greece, and assuming you're double vaccinated, you need:
- proof of vaccine record, NHS app is enough, but worth downloading a PDF copy of the covid pass onto your phone in case you don't have signal (and print it if you're worried about losing your phone). I think the pdf lasts a month from when generated.
- I think France requires you (or at least strongly recommends) that you transfer this to their version of the covid pass - think there is an app similar to our nhs app. Not sure about Belgium or Germany.
- passenger locator forms for each country you enter, each country has their own form and usually you have to fill it out about 48 hours before you travel
- you might be asked for evidence of your Day 2 covid test booking when you leave and return to the UK. We were asked at the airport when flying out.

I would imagine those three countries will have similar requirements, and travelling between them should be straightforward enough if you've got the apps/docs listed, but worth checking each of their gov websites

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk
 




Seagull58

In the Algarve
Jan 31, 2012
7,266
Vilamoura, Portugal
I'm glad you've bought this up. I'm off to France, Belgium & Germany by car in a few weeks and can find nothing anywhere as to presice details of what we need to enter these countries.
Double jabbed and full overseas info on NHS app but do I need paperwork? What about crossing Euro borders?

You will be in the Schengen zone so no borders to worry about once you're in.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
 




Vin

Well-known member
Jun 12, 2021
521
Worth checking the government website, and the respective sites for each country - check covid entry requirements

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements

But if it's anything like my recent trip to Greece, and assuming you're double vaccinated, you need:
- proof of vaccine record, NHS app is enough, but worth downloading a PDF copy of the covid pass onto your phone in case you don't have signal (and print it if you're worried about losing your phone). I think the pdf lasts a month from when generated.
- I think France requires you (or at least strongly recommends) that you transfer this to their version of the covid pass - think there is an app similar to our nhs app. Not sure about Belgium or Germany.
- passenger locator forms for each country you enter, each country has their own form and usually you have to fill it out about 48 hours before you travel
- you might be asked for evidence of your Day 2 covid test booking when you leave and return to the UK. We were asked at the airport when flying out.

I would imagine those three countries will have similar requirements, and travelling between them should be straightforward enough if you've got the apps/docs listed, but worth checking each of their gov websites

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

I’m travelling to Finland next month. Do you know if border controls scan the QR codes or just look at the paperwork? Heard lots of people say the QR codes do not scan?
 


Da Man Clay

T'Blades
Dec 16, 2004
16,254
I'm glad you've bought this up. I'm off to France, Belgium & Germany by car in a few weeks and can find nothing anywhere as to presice details of what we need to enter these countries.
Double jabbed and full overseas info on NHS app but do I need paperwork? What about crossing Euro borders?

I was in Germany last week. You need to have proof of double vaccination and then to have completed a passenger locator form for that country. It was painless. Didn’t have any paperwork just screen shots on my car phone which was fine.
 


Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
I'm glad you've bought this up. I'm off to France, Belgium & Germany by car in a few weeks and can find nothing anywhere as to presice details of what we need to enter these countries.
Double jabbed and full overseas info on NHS app but do I need paperwork? What about crossing Euro borders?

The NHS app has a QR code, so proof of double vaccination, but for ease, I also printed mine off as it was easier than putting my code into my phone to open it (facial recognition not working when wearing a mask). It was checked every time we went in a cafe or restaurant (France).
 




dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,484
Burgess Hill
We took printed copies of negative PCR test and double-jab confirmation as back up to ecopies on our phones……..both were examined closely when we arrived on holiday last week (not on departure as I’d uploaded everything to an app where it gets checked) but everywhere seems to have different levels of checking let alone requirements. Antigua was particularly rigourous compared to the couple of other trips I’ve done in the last few weeks.

You can’t complete the UK passenger locator form without having prebooked a day 2 (lateral flow) test for your return. The supplier will provide a code which has to be entered, and this is validated when you submit the form. The passenger locator form (the QR code) is certainly being checked by airlines when you check in for a return flight.

Suspect authorities in Jordan relied on the airline checking your PCR result before travel so they didn’t bother - this happened to me in Portugal last month.
 


Vin

Well-known member
Jun 12, 2021
521
We took printed copies of negative PCR test and double-jab confirmation as back up to ecopies on our phones……..both were examined closely when we arrived on holiday last week (not on departure as I’d uploaded everything to an app where it gets checked) but everywhere seems to have different levels of checking let alone requirements. Antigua was particularly rigourous compared to the couple of other trips I’ve done in the last few weeks.

You can’t complete the UK passenger locator form without having prebooked a day 2 (lateral flow) test for your return. The supplier will provide a code which has to be entered, and this is validated when you submit the form. The passenger locator form (the QR code) is certainly being checked by airlines when you check in for a return flight.

Suspect authorities in Jordan relied on the airline checking your PCR result before travel so they didn’t bother - this happened to me in Portugal last month.
[MENTION=27279]dazzer6666[/MENTION]

Posted this earlier. If you can please advise on the paperwork Cert from NHS being doubled jabbed or do they look more at the PCR test results? Thanks.

I’m travelling to Finland next month. Do you know if border controls scan the QR codes or just look at the paperwork? Heard lots of people say the QR codes do not scan?
 


dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,484
Burgess Hill
[MENTION=27279]dazzer6666[/MENTION]

Posted this earlier. If you can please advise on the paperwork Cert from NHS being doubled jabbed or do they look more at the PCR test results? Thanks.

I’m travelling to Finland next month. Do you know if border controls scan the QR codes or just look at the paperwork? Heard lots of people say the QR codes do not scan?

Think it depends where you go re border controls and checks on arrival, but essentially the primary checks are being completed by the airline at check-in before you leave the country. I’ve done 3 trips in the last two months and in every case the full requirements of the country I was heading to were checked before leaving.

I can’t recall a QRC being scanned……..they’ve been looked at manually (the whole doc).

It’s not focused more on either test or the double-jab certification - if both are an entry requirement, both will get checked equally before you’re allowed to travel.
 




Vin

Well-known member
Jun 12, 2021
521
Think it depends where you go re border controls and checks on arrival, but essentially the primary checks are being completed by the airline at check-in before you leave the country. I’ve done 3 trips in the last two months and in every case the full requirements of the country I was heading to were checked before leaving.

I can’t recall a QRC being scanned……..they’ve been looked at manually (the whole doc).

It’s not focused more on either test or the double-jab certification - if both are an entry requirement, both will get checked equally before you’re allowed to travel.

Thanks for replying. So if I turn up with paper work detailing I’ve been double jabbed and a valid PCR test as back up, at Heathrow they will check over manually and allow you to travel? When I get to Finland it should be the same procedure if checked at border control?
 


Yes Chef

Well-known member
Apr 11, 2016
1,826
In the kitchen
I'm glad you've bought this up. I'm off to France, Belgium & Germany by car in a few weeks and can find nothing anywhere as to presice details of what we need to enter these countries.
Double jabbed and full overseas info on NHS app but do I need paperwork? What about crossing Euro borders?


I flew into Germany (Hannover) two weeks ago and had to fill in the following prior to checking in -
https://einreiseanmeldung.de/#/

Pretty straight forward, and got checked upon arrival, may be different if driving between Schengen countries . Pubs and restaurants were checking the NHS travel pass fairly thoroughly too
 


shingle

Well-known member
Jan 18, 2004
3,141
Lewes
We took printed copies of negative PCR test and double-jab confirmation as back up to ecopies on our phones……..both were examined closely when we arrived on holiday last week (not on departure as I’d uploaded everything to an app where it gets checked) but everywhere seems to have different levels of checking let alone requirements. Antigua was particularly rigourous compared to the couple of other trips I’ve done in the last few weeks.

You can’t complete the UK passenger locator form without having prebooked a day 2 (lateral flow) test for your return. The supplier will provide a code which has to be entered, and this is validated when you submit the form. The passenger locator form (the QR code) is certainly being checked by airlines when you check in for a return flight.

Suspect authorities in Jordan relied on the airline checking your PCR result before travel so they didn’t bother - this happened to me in Portugal last month.

Jordan insists that you upload your NHS vaccination certificate before travel, they then issue a fit to fly certificate, this is checked prior to departure at Gatwick and at arrival in Aqaba, but nobody either at Gatwick or Aqaba asked to see the separate Randox PCR test certificate that Jordan had said that we had to have. Annoying as we'd paid out £86 for these tests.
 


Seagull27

Well-known member
Feb 7, 2011
3,309
Bristol
I’m travelling to Finland next month. Do you know if border controls scan the QR codes or just look at the paperwork? Heard lots of people say the QR codes do not scan?

I don't think they scanned the QR code at border control in Greece, they just took a cursory look - they seemed more interested in the PLF weirdly. Though I'm sure it was scanned (successfully) while out and about - required in Greece for entry to museums, or for boat travel. But it did feel quite relaxed over there, each country is probably different in how closely they check.

But I'm sure if the QR code doesn't scan then the covid pass should still be valid, as long as they can see evidence of your vaccines or negative test
 




dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,484
Burgess Hill
Thanks for replying. So if I turn up with paper work detailing I’ve been double jabbed and a valid PCR test as back up, at Heathrow they will check over manually and allow you to travel? When I get to Finland it should be the same procedure if checked at border control?

I’d imagine so……key seems to be having the evidence readily available. Everywhere is slightly different but certainly at LHR paper evidence is fine. If you’re flying with BA it’s worth downloading the VeriFly app and uploading everything to that as it’ll speed things up and allow you to check in online beforehand. I can’t speak for what they do in Finland but suspect they have a passenger locator form of some sort you need to do beforehand too ?
 


dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,484
Burgess Hill
Jordan insists that you upload your NHS vaccination certificate before travel, they then issue a fit to fly certificate, this is checked prior to departure at Gatwick and at arrival in Aqaba, but nobody either at Gatwick or Aqaba asked to see the separate Randox PCR test certificate that Jordan had said that we had to have. Annoying as we'd paid out £86 for these tests.

Interesting……could be they are doing random checks I guess. We had to have PCR tests for Antigua last week but these were checked at LGW and very closely on arrival too.
 


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