Transiting through England
There are different rules for
Scotland,
Wales and
Northern Ireland.
Passing through an airport in England while on the way to another country is called ‘transiting’. Some travellers call it a ‘layover’.
There are 2 types of transiting:
- ‘airside’ - you do not pass through UK border control before you leave on your connecting journey
- ‘landside’ - you do pass through UK border control, but come back through it and leave the UK within a short amount of time (usually 24 hours)
Before travel to England
If you will be transiting through England, you need to do the following before you travel:
If you will be transiting landside through England you need to do the following when you complete your passenger locator form.
- select ‘Stay in the UK’ under the Your travel plans section
- reply ‘I will be travelling for an exempt reason’ to the question about whether you are required to self-isolate on arrival
- select the Exemption options, and then select ‘Transit Exemption’
This includes if you are transiting onto the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. You may need to show evidence of onward travel and where you will be staying at the border .
When you transit through England to international destinations
You do not need to quarantine on arrival or take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and day 8. This applies if you are transiting airside or landside.
You must either:
- remain within your port of entry until your departure from England, or
- travel directly from your port of entry to another port of departure in England