06 December 2021
Confirmation of northbound travel arrangements into the UK
Following recent international media reports, the Falkland Islands Government can confirm that, despite the heightened Covid-19 response measures being introduced in the UK, travellers heading northbound from the Falkland Islands will NOT be required to undertake a PCR test prior to departure.
The steps that ARE required by northbound passengers are as follows:
- Before travel, passengers must complete the UK Passenger Locator Form, 48 hours before they land: https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk
- In order to complete this form, passengers will need to book and pay for a day 2 Covid-19 test, as the booking reference for the test needs to be included on the form: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-england-from-another-country-during-coronavirus-covid-19
- On arrival in England, passengers will need to take their day 2 test and then self-isolate until they receive a negative result: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england
In the event that northbound travellers intend to transit onwards into a country outside of England, then other rules may apply. In which case you are advised to visit the website of your destination country for more information. Should your onward travels require you to take a Covid-19 swab prior to leaving the Falkland Islands, then this can be arranged via KEMH 10 days before travel.
To organise a swab, you will need to email
- Full Name, Address and Date of Birth of individual requiring swab
- Contact number that KEMH can call you on
- Date you will be leaving the Islands
- Country you are travelling to AND the requirements of that country (i.e. swab must be taken within 72 hours of departure)
KEMH will then contact you to arrange an appointment for you to attend and will call to advise your results. Please be advised this service is free of charge, however it is run alongside the quarantine swab testing regime, therefore booking in advance is required.
During the festive period, the KEMH laboratory will be operating on an on-call basis only, and any swab tests not booked in advance may not be processed in time for your travel, so please ensure you leave plenty of time to arrange for your test.