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Travel restrictions apply. Check if you need a negative COVID-19 test and to complete mandatory forms before travelling. See government websites for updates and find essential travel info here.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Essential information on the latest travel requirements to help you plan your journey.

COVID-19: from 4 October the UK will relax the travel rules for entering the UK. More information.

 

 

Coronavirus and Eurostar services – last updated 22 September 2021

You must follow all travel rules and complete any necessary mandatory forms before travelling. As regulations can change at short notice, please check the latest official government information of your departure and destination countries before travelling and read the ‘Travel’ sections below. 

It’s our policy that you must continue to wear a face covering on board our trains, even if you’ve been fully vaccinated. Our teams are doing their best to keep you safe and are legally required to check passengers’ COVID-19 documents. They will refuse travel if you don’t have the correct forms complete and ready to be checked. 

Our contact centre is very busy, so please only call us if your question is urgent and isn’t answered in the information below or on the official government websites. Our teams are only able to answer basic questions about testing requirements and mandatory paperwork. Unfortunately we can’t answer detailed queries about individual cases.


IMPORTANT: Please make sure that your reason for travel is permitted by the country you are visiting, as the rules differ for each destination.

Travel restrictions and entry requirements

Travel to the UK

From 4 October, the UK will relax the travel rules for entering the UK. More information.

IMPORTANT: The same rules apply from 08 August 2021 for passengers travelling from France, Belgium and the Netherlands to the UK which are all classed as amber countries. If you have been in or through a ‘red list’ country in the 10 days prior to your arrival in the UK you will not be permitted to travel by Eurostar to the UK. The UK Government has implemented specific entry rules for people travelling from a red list country, including requiring travel via a designated airport and mandatory hotel quarantine. Find out more

Please note that amber list rules will apply for anyone travelling from Germany who is connecting in Brussels or Paris.

All passengers travelling to the UK – including those who’ve been fully vaccinated – must fill in mandatory forms and comply with the government’s testing and self-isolation requirements. Please read the section below for more information. 
 

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION TO ENTER ENGLAND FROM OVERSEAS

Everyone* entering England from overseas (including UK nationals and residents) must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 3 days prior to direct departure to England. Your test result must be in either English, French or Spanish.

Fill in your Passenger Locator Form up to 48 hours before arrival. You must declare all countries you have visited or transited through in the 10 days prior to your arrival on your Passenger Locator Form.

Before departure check the list of red, amber and green countries, as the list can change regularly.

 

Red list passengers

1. Book a managed quarantine package**

2. Complete a passenger locator form

You can only enter if you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK. You must enter through a designated port of entry and quarantine in a government approved hotel for 10 days.

 

Amber list passengers

1. Book tests for day 2 and 8**

2. Complete a passenger locator form

3. Make plans to self-quarantine in private accommodation for 10 full days after arrival (or full duration of stay if less than 10 days)


If you are arriving from an Amber country, and have been fully vaccinated through an approved vaccination programme*** at least 14 days before your arrival in England, you must: 

1. Book a test for day 2**

2. Complete a Passenger Locator Form  
 

Green list passengers

1. Book a test for day 2**

2. Complete a passenger locator form

 

England: https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control

Northern Ireland: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-international-travel-advice

Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-international-travel-quarantine/pages/overview/

Wales: https://gov.wales/arriving-wales-overseas

Failure to comply with these measures is a criminal offence and you could be fined. There are a limited set of exemptions from these measures. Check the list of exemptions carefully. You may be fined if you fraudulently claim an exemption.

 

Exemptions from one or more of the COVID-related travel restrictions

Some people are exempt from some or all COVID-19 travel and entry requirements because of their job but will be required to show evidence, otherwise, there is a risk of being fined by the authorities. Read more. 


Official UK rules state that negative COVID-19 test certificates will only be accepted in English, French or Spanish. Please check that your test certificate is in one of these languages and clearly shows all the required information listed here. 

Children: The following applies to minors under the age of 18 years arriving from Amber list countries.

Age Pre-departure test Day 2 test Day 8 test
11-18 years Yes Yes No
5-10 years No Yes No
Under 4 years No No  No

 

 

 


Children under the age of 18 at the time they arrive and ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, the EU, Switzerland or the USA are not required to self-quarantine when arriving in England.

These measures apply to all persons (including UK nationals and residents) arriving in England from outside the common travel area comprising the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. The British Overseas Territories are not in the common travel area. Public health requirements may vary depending upon in which nation of the UK you’re staying.

*Applies to everyone age 11 years and above.

**Applies to everyone age 5 years and above. You must ensure the test provider you choose is on the UK government list, otherwise, the test will not meet the required standards. Check the list of our testing partners in the section “Covid-19 testing options”. You must book and pay for arrival tests before your journey in order to complete your Passenger Locator Form. You still have to book an arrival test even if you are staying in the UK for less than 2 days.

*** This applies to everyone fully vaccinated in the UK, EU, Switzerland or US at least 14 days before departure. Read more information here. Please note that you are not considered fully vaccinated under English rules if you have received only 1 vaccine dose and have a COVID recovery certificate. You will be required to follow the rules for unvaccinated passengers. This does not apply if you have received a single dose vaccine such as Janssen or Johnson & Johnson.

Travel to Belgium

All passengers travelling to Belgium – including those who’ve been fully vaccinated – must fill in mandatory forms and comply with the government’s testing and self-isolation requirements. Please read on for more information and check carefully that you are eligible to travel to Belgium.


AM I ALLOWED TO TRAVEL? 

The UK is currently classified as red and the following rules apply when travelling from the UK to Belgium.

You’re allowed to travel to Belgium only if you are:

  • A Belgian citizen or an EU/Schengen resident
  • A non-EU/Schengen citizen or resident who has been fully vaccinated at least two weeks before travel and has an EU Digital Covid Certificate or a vaccination certificate issued in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland. 
  • The partner of a Belgian citizen or resident. Or the child of a Belgian citizen or resident, or their partner's child. You must hold an Essential Travel Certificate issued by a Belgian diplomatic or consular post.

 

If you do not meet any of the above criteria, you may not travel to Belgium unless you meet the exemptions listed here under the question ‘I am not a national of the EU, nor of a country that is part of the Schengen Area and my primary residence is in a third country marked as “red” on this list….May I travel to Belgium?” (please scroll down the page to the Transport & International section).

If you qualify for one of the listed exemptions, you must carry either an official document linked to your profession (e.g a Diplomatic passport) or request an Essential Travel Certificate from the Belgian Embassy in London at least 5 days before departure. 

IMPORTANT: You will be refused entry if you fail to comply with these restrictions. You will be responsible for any associated costs.

Please consult the Belgian government's official coronavirus information website for the latest guidelines and information regarding lockdown and local restrictions.

Please note: If you’re travelling to Germany or the Netherlands via Brussels and changing trains, you must comply with Belgium's travel rules. With Eurostar, you must meet the entry requirements of the country where you make your connection. This is different to flying, where a stopover effectively counts as part of the flight.

 

WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO TRAVEL TO OR RETURN TO BELGIUM? 

ALL passengers aged 12 years and over (regardless of citizenship or residency) are legally required to complete a Passenger Locator Form online.The form must be completed online up to 48 hours of before departure. As the UK is outside the Schengen area, all customers are required to complete the form regardless of their length of stay.

Please ensure you complete the form online before arriving at London St Pancras. You will be required to present it along with other required documents in order to travel.


DO I NEED TO TAKE A COVID-19 TEST AND TO QUARANTINE?

You're a Belgian resident:

  • If you have an EU vaccination or recovery certificate, or a vaccination certificate issues in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland, you must self-isolate and get tested on day 1 or 2 after arriving in Belgium. If you test negative, you can end quarantine as soon as you get your test result, but you will still need to take a test again on day 7. 
  • If you do not have an EU vaccination or recovery certificate, you must quarantine for 10 days. Get tested on day 1 and 7 after you return from your trip.
  • Children under the age of 12 do not have to get tested.


Please note: Belgian residents do not need to take a COVID test before travelling.


You're not a Belgian resident:

  • If you have an EU vaccination or recovery certificate, or a vaccination certificate issued in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland, you must self-isolate and get tested on day 1 or 2 after you arrive in Belgium. If you test negative, you can end quarantine as soon as you get your test result, but you will still need to take a test again on day 7.
  • If you don’t have an EU vaccination or recovery certificate, or a vaccination certificate issued in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland, you must do a PCR test no more than 72 hours before you arrive in Belgium. This test must be negative. On arrival in Belgium, you must quarantine for 10 days and get tested on day 7.
  • Children under the age of 12 do not have to get tested.



WHAT DO I NEED FOR MY RETURN JOURNEY? 

Please check the relevant 'Travel to' section applying to your return journey destination for more information.

Travel to the Netherlands

If you’re travelling from Belgium to the Netherlands, please read the latest official government information, check if you need a negative COVID-19 test, and complete all mandatory forms before travelling. You must comply with all travel rules in place in the Netherlands, even if you’ve been vaccinated. Find out more on the Dutch government’s website. 

If you're travelling from the UK to the Netherlands, you'll find more information under 'Travel to the Netherlands' on the UK version of this page.


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