Wales and Northern Ireland Align with Relaxed Travel Rules

Wales and Northern Ireland have announced their decisions to align with the relaxed travel rules set out by the UK government and Scotland earlier this week on Monday (24th of January). 

On Monday the 24th of January, UK Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, announced that day-2 lateral flow tests would no longer be required for fully vaccinated travellers to enter the country (you can find out more on the removal of day-2 tests in our recent article). 

Now the ministers in Wales and Northern Ireland have announced their intention to align with these relaxed travel rules when they are put into action on the 11th of February. Scotland stated their pledge to follow these relaxed travel rules on Monday (24th).  

This means that from the 11th of February, no fully vaccinated travellers will be required to take any tests upon entering any part of the UK, with all four nations in agreement. The only restrictions that fully vaccinated UK travellers will need to follow are those of their chosen destination (you can find out what these are on the Foreign Travel Advice page).  

Welsh ministers have also ceased advising against foreign travel for citizens, where previously they advised against all but essential travel.  

Mark Drakeford, Wales’ First Minister, said, “As we move beyond the Omicron wave of Covid-19 we will also see a greater opportunity for individuals to return to making decisions based on their own circumstances. 

“On that basis, and because of the vaccination success set out above, we will no longer advise people to only travel overseas if their journey is essential.” 

The Northern Ireland Executive made their pledge to follow the relaxed travel rules that the UK government set out on Tuesday the 25th of January. “The Department of Health has confirmed the removal of a number of travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers arriving into Northern Ireland,” they said. 

“From 0400hrs on 11 February 2022 fully vaccinated travellers arriving from non-red list countries will only have to complete a UK Passenger Locator Form with no additional requirement for testing or isolation. 

“Individuals who are not fully vaccinated will be required to complete a UK Passenger Locator Form, take a pre-departure test 48 hours before arriving into Northern Ireland, and book and pay for a day 2 PCR post-arrival test. These individuals will only be required to self-isolate if they test positive following the day 2 PCR test. 

“From 4 am on 11 February, 16 further countries will be added to the eligible vaccination arrivals policy. Vaccine certificates will now be accepted from Algeria, Cape Verde, China, El Salvador, Guatemala, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macao SAR [Special Administrative Region], Mexico, Sao Tome & Principe, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, and Turkmenistan.” 

So, if you’re looking forward to your next great holiday with relaxed travel rules, don’t wait, book your holiday now with a travel business registered with PTS and offering 100% financial protection through trust. Or, if you’d like assistance choosing a PTS member to book with, you can contact PTS directly at 0207 190 9988. 

And if you’d like to learn more about your consumer protection with PTS or how the Package Travel Regulations protect your holiday booking, check out our pages and articles.