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TRAVEL NEWS

How to book that ‘cheaper’ Day 2 Covid-19 test if you’re travelling from Italy to the UK

The UK government has published its list of 'cheaper Covid travel tests' for arrivals into the UK from countries including Italy, but don't get too excited.

Published: 22 October 2021 13:00 CEST
Travellers at a UK airport.
Travellers still need to take a day 2 test when arriving in the UK from Italy.(Photo by Niklas HALLE'N / AFP)

The UK changed its much-criticised Covid border rules on Monday October 4th.

Since then, fully vaccinated arrivals from Italy no longer need to quarantine, provided they meet the UK government’s definition of vaccinated (more on that below). 

And from October 4th vaccinated travellers no longer need a pre-departure Covid test either.

READ ALSO: What changes in October if you’re travelling between Italy and the UK

Travellers do, however, still need ‘Day 2’ tests on arrival – but from October 24th these can be antigen tests (known in the UK as lateral flow tests) rather than PCR tests, with the new tests on sale from Friday, October 22nd.

Travellers have been complaining for months about the extortionate prices and terrible service afforded by the Day 2 testing system, and the switch to lateral flow tests should make these cheaper – in theory.

You do still, however, have to use a test provider from the list of approved government suppliers and the test must be booked and paid for before you leave Italy.

While broadly similar, Covid-19 travel, quarantine and testing rules are slightly different if you’re heading to Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland

What it means

All passengers, including children, have to take a test on or before ‘Day Two’ after their arrival in England.

But – crucially – this Day Two test must be booked before you leave Italy.

The passenger locator form, required for all arrivals into England, cannot be completed without a reference number from a test, booked through one of the UK government’s approved list of suppliers.

Anyone who fails to take this Day Two test could face a fine of up to £2,000.

For fully vaccinated travellers, the Day Two test marks the end of their Covid travel requirements, assuming it comes back negative.

Unvaccinated travellers from Italy, however, must quarantine for 10 full days and take another test on or before Day Eight of their stay.

Travel to UK: Covid recovered plus single dose still not considered ‘fully vaccinated’

Photo: Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP

When is ‘Day Two’?

It is important to note that for test and quarantine purposes, the day of arrival is counted as Day Zero. The following day is Day One, the day after that Day Two, and so on.

Proof of purchase of the second test must be included on the passenger locator form, which everyone over age 18 must complete and submit within the 48 hours before they travel.

How to book a test

Tests must be booked from a company on the government’s list of test providers in England and Northern Ireland here.

Before October 24th

The test must be a PCR test, but PCR tests in the UK may be carried out at home, or by going to a clinic. Prices vary based on how many tests you require and how quickly you need the results – and many clinics offer a range of packages.

According to the government website, you’ll have a wait of 24 to 36 hours to get your test result.

However social media and the British media are awash with stories of people waiting considerably longer than that, never receiving their results or never receiving the tests in the first place.

After October 24th

From this date, the test can be a rapid-result antigen test, known as a lateral flow test in the UK, which travellers do at home with no need to send the sample to a lab.

However, this must still be booked in advance and from one of the approved government suppliers.

The UK government published its updated list including lateral flow tests on Friday, October 22nd and initially this looked good, with several tests listed at £20 or under.

However when we tried to book one on Friday lunchtime, none of the sites listing tests at or around £20 were actually selling them at that price – some sites said they had no tests available, while others only listed options to purchase the considerably more expensive PCR tests.

It remains unclear whether this will change in the days to come.

The new system should, however, eliminate the problem of long waits for results.

Companies

The world of Day 2 testing is an infuriating one.

You’ll find the companies offer packages depending on the status of the country you are travelling from, in other words green or amber. Even though the tests are the same. Some companies confusingly list products only for “UK vaccinated”.

Some we found appear to have minimum spends so even if you find a cheap test you can’t buy it, while others seem cheap at first – but once you get through the final ordering stage extra charges bump up the total.

You also have to book individually for each passenger who requires a test – so if you’re travelling as a family of four you will have to go through the booking process four times.

All of this can come as a shock to those who live abroad and have become used to the testing process (and prices) in Italy, for example.

Prices vary depending on the region of Italy, but antigen tests usually cost around €20-30 while a molecular (PCR) test is around €50-60.

They can be accessed by simply popping into the local pharmacy or booking online with a medical lab. Find more information about getting tested in Italy here.

Short stays

So, what if you’re staying in the UK for less than two days? You still need the Day 2 test, because the passenger locator form cannot be completed without the booking reference, and you cannot enter England without the form.

So you must pay for a test even if you will no longer be in England when the time comes to use it.

Many travellers also report having to take another test before flying back to Italy from the UK, even if their Day Two test fell within the 48-hour window before their return trip, because UK authorities class Day Two and ‘Fit to Fly’ tests differently.

Fully vaccinated

Also be aware that the UK government’s definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ is not the same as the Italian government’s.

You need to have been vaccinated with a UK approved vaccine – Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson – and be at least 14 days from your final dose.

After much confusion, the UK has finally agreed to recognise as vaccinated people who had a ‘mixed dose’ abroad: eg. one shot of AstraZeneca and one Pfizer.

But while in Italy, people who previously had Covid are counted as fully vaccinated after a single dose of the vaccine, this is not the case in the UK.

Photo: Miguel MEDINA/AFP

Q&A: Answers to your questions about Italy’s travel rules

Those who don’t show both documents are subject to a five-day quarantine with the requirement to take a test at the end of this period.

However, tests are easily accessed and booked (the local health authority will often arrange the post-isolation test for you, though it’s at your expense) and there are no reports of the sort of widespread delays and other problems seen in the UK.

Keep up with the latest updates via The Local’s homepage or travel news section.

Member comments

  1. This has changed – you dont require a test now as long as you are fully vaccinated from the UK GOV website below

    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-people-travelling-to-england

    Who needs to take a test
    You must take a COVID-19 test before you travel to England if you either:

    do not qualify as fully vaccinated for travel to England
    have been in a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days before you will arrive in England
    You do not have to take a COVID-19 test before you travel to England if you qualify as fully vaccinated and you have not been in a red list country.

    Check the Travel to England guidance to find out if you qualify as fully vaccinated

  2. Ive been told that this has changed again – from more recently traveling back to Uk we need a day 2 PCR test and quarantine for 2 days. I just bought the random click and collect for 34.99. I think that’s cheapest option?

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TRAVEL NEWS

What will Europe’s EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU's Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport checks will usher in big changes for travellers - here we answer readers' questions on the position for dual nationals.

Published: 22 April 2024 17:10 CEST
What will Europe's EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU is preparing, after many delays, to introduce the EES system for travel in and out of Europe.

You can find a full explanation of how it works HERE, but in essence it is an enhanced passport check – registering biometric details such as fingerprints and facial scans and introducing an automatic calculation of how long you have stayed within the EU/Schengen zone in order to detect ‘over-stayers’.

And it’s already causing stress for travellers. We asked readers of The Local to share their questions here – and one of the biggest worries was how the system will work for dual nationals ie people who have a passport for both an EU country and a non-EU country.

EES: Your questions answered

EU passports 

One of the main purposes of EES is to detect ‘over-stayers’ – people who have either stayed in the EU longer than their visa allows or non-EU nationals who have over-stayed their allowance of 90 days in every 180.

As this does not apply to EU nationals, people travelling on an EU passport are not required to do EES pre-registration and will continue to travel in the same way once EES is introduced – going to the ‘EU passports queue’ at airports, ports and stations and having their passports scanned as normal.

Non-EU 

Non-EU travellers will, once EES is up and running, be required to complete EES pre-registration.

This means that the first time they cross an EU/Schengen zone external border they will have to go to a special zone of the airport/port/terminal and supply extra passport information including fingerprints and a facial scan.

This only needs to be done once and then lasts for three years.

Non-EU residents of the EU/Schengen zone

This does not apply to non-EU citizens who are permanent residents of an EU country or who have a long-stay visa for an EU/Schengen zone country – click HERE for full details.

Schengen zone passports/Irish passports 

EES applies within the Schengen zone, so people with Swiss, Norwegian and Icelandic passports are treated in the same way as citizens of EU countries.

Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not the Schengen zone – these countries will not be using the EES system at their borders, but their citizens are still EU citizens so can continue to use EU passport gates at airports and will be treated the same as all other EU citizens (ie they don’t have to do EES pre-registration).

OK, so what if you have both an EU and a non-EU passport?

They key thing to remember about EES is that it doesn’t actually change any of the rules on immigration – it’s just a way of better enforcing the rules that are already in place. 

Therefore the rules for dual nationals remain as they are – for most people which passport to travel on is a matter of personal choice, although Americans should be aware that if you have a US passport and you are entering the USA, you must use your American passport. 

But it’s also important to remember that the passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’ – therefore if you present an American passport at the Italian border, you will be treated exactly the same as every other American, there is no way for the border guard to know that you are also Italian.

Likewise if you are a UK-Germany dual national and you travel back to the UK on your German passport, you can expect to be treated the same as every other German at the border, and might be asked for proof of where you are staying in UK, how long you intend to stay etc – the system has no way of knowing that you are also British. 

Therefore whether you have to complete EES pre-registration or not is entirely a matter of which passport you are travelling on – if you use your EU passport you won’t have to do it, if you use your non-EU passport you will.

It’s also possible to use two passports for the same trip – so let’s say you’re travelling from Spain to Canada – you enter Canada on your Canadian passport, and show your Canadian passport again when you leave. However, once you re-enter Spain you show your Spanish passport in order to benefit from the unlimited length of stay.

If you’re travelling between France and the UK via the Eurostar, Channel Tunnel or cross-Channel ferry, you need to remember that the Le Touquet agreement means that French passport checks take place in the UK and vice versa. You can still use both passports, but you just need to keep your wits about you and remember to hand the French one to the French border guards and the British one to British guards.

In terms of avoiding immigration formalities using two passports is the most efficient way for dual nationals to travel, but some people prefer to stick to one passport for simplicity, or don’t want to keep both passports together in case of theft.

Basically it’s a personal choice, but you just need to remember that you will be treated according to the passport that you show – which includes completing EES pre-registration if you’re showing a non-EU passport.

It’s also worth remembering that if the changes do cause border delays (and there are fears that they might especially at the UK-France border), then these will affect all travellers – regardless of their passport. 

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