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Passengers warned forms still needed for travelling from Italy to the UK

Anyone travelling to the UK from Italy is being warned that they still need to complete the contact locator form before travelling.

Passengers warned forms still needed for travelling from Italy to the UK
Border checkpoints at London Heathrow Airport. Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP

The UK on July 10th began lifting its quarantine for travellers from certain countries that it deemed 'safe' – including Italy.

However, though it is no longer necessary to self isolate when travelling to the UK from Italy, each passenger needs to fill out the contact locator form before leaving Italy.

READ ALSO: Italy's latest travel rules, explained

The form asks for detailed information about your journey, where you will be staying in the UK, contact information and details of someone who can be contacted if you fall ill – so it's best not to leave the form to the last moment as your flight/ferry/train/coach is about to depart.

The form can be accessed online here and you can show either a printout or a completed version on your phone. You cannot submit the form more than 48 hours before you travel.

The information you need to provide includes:

  • your passport details;
  • the name of the airline, ferry, train or bus company you’re travelling with;
  • the name of the company organising your trip, if you’re travelling as part of a tour group;
  • your booking reference;
  • the name of the airport, port or station you’ll be arriving into;
  • the date you’ll be arriving;
  • your flight, train, bus or ferry number;
  • the address you’ll be staying at for your first 14 days in the UK;
  • details of someone who can be contacted if you get ill while you’re in the UK.

If you’re travelling by Eurostar or Eurotunnel, put ‘Eurostar’ or ‘Eurotunnel’ when the form asks ‘What is the flight number, train service or ship name that you will arrive on?’ and provide your scheduled time of departure.

People travelling from the UK to Italy will be given information about the procedure when they leave the country.

The UK did not have international travel restrictions during the strictest phase of the lockdown, but on June 8th introduced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all international arrivals.

From July 10th these were lifted for arrivals from a list of 'safe' countries which included European countries like Italy, Spain, France and Germany.

The initial announcement from the UK government referred only to arrivals in England, but devolved authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland later confirmed that they would be applying the same rules.

READ ALSO: 

Italy was one of the first EU countries to lift its travel restrictions for arrivals from within Europe – including the UK – on June 3rd, so there are now no extra measures required at the Italian border.

From July 1st the EU began opening up its external borders to countries deemed to be low risk from Covid-19, although travellers from the USA remain excluded.

Italy has kept its quarantine requirement even for non-European countries on the 'safe list', as well as banning all entry from an additional 13 high-risk countries including Brazil and Bangladesh.

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The government is working on the assumption that the system will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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