International Travel

COVID-19 International Travel Rules

There are different rules for travelling to England, which are primarily based on your vaccination status. Click here for full and up-to-date information on these rules. Below is a summary.

Travel to England is allowed if you have been fully vaccinated (under an approved vaccination programme). In this scenario, then you must take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 after you arrive in England (the day you arrive is day 0). But you do not need to quarantine or take any other tests, and you are free to explore London and attend the conference within these two days even before taking your test.

Important: You must have already booked your test before you depart for England.

Important: In the 48-hours before you depart for England, you must complete a “passenger locator form”. In this form, you will enter details of the test you have booked. Click here to complete this form.

Booking Your COVID-19 Test

The test can be either a lateral flow test or a PCR test. The test can be done either by a healthcare professional at a clinic, or by yourself at your hotel. It can be complicated understanding how and where to book this test, so we provide some guidelines below.

Doing the test at a clinic

Click here to book a lateral flow test to be done by a healthcare professional at a convenient clinic, which is a 10-minute walk from Friends House, the main conference venue. This will cost £39. This link will take you to a page where the product “Day 2 Rapid Antigen Lateral Flow - In-Store Test for International Arrivals” is shown, and you should then click on “Add to basket”, followed by “Secure Checkout”. After filling in your details, click on “Go To Appointment Booking”, and select “London Medical Laboratory King's Cross - WC1H 9PU”. Next, you can choose a date and time for when you will go to the clinic for your test. This needs to be on or before day 2 after you arrive in England (the day you arrive is day 0). Finally, click on “Go To Payment” and complete your order. On the day of your test, you can then walk to the London Medical Laboratory for your test, where a healthcare professional will do the swab for you. Click here to see the location of the clinic. You will receive the test result at the clinic after 15 minutes. Then, assuming that the result is negative, you are free to continue enjoying your stay in London as normal!

Doing the test yourself at your hotel

Click here to order a lateral flow test to be delivered to your hotel. This will cost £29. This link will take you to a page where the product “Day 2 Rapid Antigen Lateral Flow - Home Testing Kit for International Arrivals” is shown, and you should then click on “Add to basket”, followed by “Secure Checkout”. You will then need to enter your hotel’s address in the “Shipping Address” form, as well as your home address in the “Billing Address” form (you will need to click on “Use Different Billing Address” to reveal this). It may be helpful to inform your hotel that you are expecting a delivery, particularly if it is possible that the test will be delivered before you arrive at your hotel. Once you receive the test at your hotel, you should follow the instructions on the test, which includes taking a photograph of the test result and then uploading it to receive your test certificate. Then, assuming that the result is negative, you are free to continue enjoying your stay in London as normal!

Remember that you must have ordered your test before you travel to England. Once you have ordered your test, you will receive a unique test reference number. You must then enter this reference number on your passenger locator form, within the 48-hours before you depart for England.

Please also remember to check the rules in your own country about any tests you may need to take when returning home from England. It is likely that you will be able to order these tests at the same clinic that is described above.