Current Travel Requirements

Any area, region or country identified on the UKs red list at any time is also treated as a red list country in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. 

The UK system sets out what you have to do when you return from overseas travel and land in the UK. Further details on the requirements for arrivals into the UK can be found at the links below. You should ensure you check the requirements before you travel:

• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland

The requirements for those arriving from red list countries are as follows:

For all travellers, vaccinated and unvaccinated, travelling directly into the Bailiwick from a region on the UK’s red list

• Day 1 and Day 9 PCR tests for travellers aged 12 and over.
• Isolate until Day 9 negative result.
• Children aged 5-11 will not be PCR tested, instead will be provided with 5 LFTs free of charge. They follow the same self-isolation requirements as accompanying parents/guardians. Children under the age of 11 must be registered on the Travel Tracker account of one travelling adult only.
• If you decline to take a test, you must self-isolate for 10 days.

For all travellers, vaccinated and unvaccinated, travelling from a region on the UK’s red list via the UK into the Bailiwick

• You cannot transit through the UK. You must complete self-isolation requirements in the UK.
• Once completed, you can travel as a Blue Channel traveller. (See Blue Channel above).

It is important to note that Public Health will still apply overrides to country or region listings if it has any concerns. This CAN include countries/regions within the Common Travel Area. Any areas of concern will be listed below.

Any breach of the Bailiwick's self-isolation rules can result in a fine of up to £10,000.

Travellers should make their way home or to their place of accommodation as soon as possible and undertake their day of arrival LFT. They do not have to report negative results. However, if they receive a positive LFT result, they must immediately contact the clinical helpline on 220001 or 220002 to book in for a confirmatory PCR test. They will be required to self-isolate until the result of the PCR test in this scenario and must follow any other restrictions or requirements imposed by the Medical Officer of Health.

It is a legal requirement* to undertake an LFT on the day of your arrival and then an LFT on days 3, 5, 7 and 9 after your arrival.

*It is a criminal offence to fail to follow the testing and/or isolation requirements linked to your travel history. You may be prosecuted, and if convicted, could be sentenced to a fine of up to £10,000, 3 months’ imprisonment, or both.

If you do not purchase the pack of LFTs, or undertake travel LFT testing, or report a positive result from a LFT, you may be prosecuted. If you are convicted, you could be sentenced to a fine of up to £10,000, 3 months’ imprisonment, or both.

If you are required and decline to take a PCR test, you will need to observe a mandatory 10 day self-isolation period.

Please note, if a traveller declines testing, any unvaccinated members of the traveller's household may need to 'stay at home' for this period, unless they can be separated. For more information please see 'Stay at Home' here: I am a contact of a case | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg)

If you do not adhere to the legal requirements outlined, you may be prosecuted and, if convicted, be sentenced to a fine of up to £10,000, 3 months’ imprisonment, or both.

The ‘Blue Channel’ is the term used on the Travel Tracker system that identifies travellers arriving in the Bailiwick from the CTA. 

Any person arriving in the Bailiwick from anywhere in the world (including, for the avoidance of doubt, Jersey and the United Kingdom) will be required to provide specified information and satisfactory proof of their identity to any customs officer, police officer or other authorised person who requests the information. This information is required in order to enable the Medical Officer of Health to contact that person without delay during their self-isolation period.

Travellers are required to provide this information using the Travel Tracker. This applies to all travellers. More information can be found here: traveltracker.gov.gg.

Other forms of evidence such as vaccination appointment cards and GP letters will not be accepted at this time, however, this will be kept under review. Further details about COVID Status Certificates can be found here: COVID Status Certificates (Vaccine Passports) | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg)

If you are unwell do not travel. If you are returning to the Bailiwick, please make alternative arrangements and delay your travel. We all have a responsibility to play our part in keeping our community safe from COVID-19. Your actions could have serious consequences.

You must also be aware that there may be ramifications if you test positive, are identified as a close contact of a positive, or self-isolation requirements change at short notice.

• If you start to experience any symptoms, no matter how mild, you need to contact the Clinical Helpline by calling 01481 220001  or 01481 220002 and go into self-isolation.
• If you receive a positive COVID-19 (PCR) test at any point during your stay in the Bailiwick, you will be required to remain in self-isolation. Read more: I am a positive case | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg)
• You will not be able to travel during this self-isolation period and you will have to make arrangements to remain in the Bailiwick if your planned stay is shorter than the self-isolation period.
• You will be informed when the mandatory self-isolation period will end.
• If you are staying in a shared household in the Bailiwick and you receive a positive PCR test result, the other people in your household may be required to self-isolate from the time of the test. As such, you should consider the potential implications of your travel for those in your household and discuss this with them before travelling.
• If you have been identified as having had close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case while in or travelling to the Bailiwick, you may be required to self-isolate from the time of last contact or undergo additional testing.

If you have travelled to the Bailiwick and are advised that you need to unexpectedly self-isolate then you may need to find alternative accommodation if your current accommodation isn’t suitable. If this situation arises you should contact Public Health Services by calling 01481 725241 who will be able to advise you of options for self-isolation accommodation. Please note that, other than in exceptional circumstances - or if you have travelled for medical or compassionate reasons - you will be required to fund this accommodation yourself.

The World Health Organisation has made a video about factors to help you make safe choices when you're in an area of widespread COVID-19 transmission. You can view this here.

If you are required to be tested on arrival, you will be given a testing kit which will include everything you need to take your sample. Your pack will include:

• Swab
• Green screw topped tube
• Plastic envelope

You will need to take two samples, one from the back of your throat and the other from the inside of your nose – using the same swab.

Please make sure you scan the barcode on the green screw topped tube to register your test against your Travel Tracker account, this will let the Laboratory know that you have submitted your test.

Once you have completed your test, please ensure the lid is secure and then take it in the envelope to the exit desk.

For a more detailed step by step guide on the process of self-swabbing please see the download below. There are also videos about what happens at both the airport and harbour available below.

PCR Tests

A £25 charge will be applied for each test required as part of your arrival in the Bailiwick. This includes your test on arrival if required, and your test on either Day 8 or Day 9 (depending on where you have travelled from).

You can pay this charge through your Travel Tracker account.

LFT Tests 

A lateral flow test (LFT) pack can be purchased through your Travel Tracker account for £25 per person. These five tests should be done in the morning, every other day.

You can pay this charge through your Travel Tracker account.

You are not required to pay this charge if you are:

• A child under-12
• Travelling for medical reasons
• Accompanying someone who is travelling for medical reasons
• Travelling for compassionate reasons

Can I use my own LFT pack after travel?

No. There are a few reasons for this:

• Consistency – to ensure that the same test is used across the board; 
• Reassurance - to ensure that everyone has the same number of tests and importantly that everyone has enough when they arrive; 
• Speed - to ensure that inbound passengers arrive into the Bailiwick with minimum disruption by avoiding checks needing to be carried out on arrivals who have brought their own LFTs, to check quality, to ensure they have enough etc. This would cause significant delays and we want to get you through the borders as quickly as possible, while equipping you with the tools to keep the community safe. 

Even if your own LFT tests appear to be the same as our stock, purchasing a pack will still be a condition of travel, if required based on your travel history. 

Why do I have to pay for a lateral flow test (LFT) pack? 

The States of Guernsey receives its supplies of LFTs through two separate supply chains for use in two separate testing programmes.

The LFTs that are required to support our travel testing programme are sourced by the States of Guernsey from a commercial supplier at a cost.  A proportion of this cost is recovered from the arriving travellers who are required to use the tests - £25 per LFT packs of 5.

The LFT packs of 25 provided to islanders free of charge for the community surveillance programme have been received from the UK’s Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) at no charge. While we are responsible for our own planning, response and recovery, the UK Government has been committed to supporting the wider British family, including the Bailiwick of Guernsey, throughout the Covid-19 pandemic when needed.  Providing access to a supply of LFTs at a time of high demand in the marketplace, has been one part of the assistance provided and has enabled us to roll out a wide-reaching community surveillance programme. LFTs provided through this supply chain CANNOT be used by travellers, which is aligned to the UK’s approach where by community surveillance LFTs are free to the public but tests for travel (inbound and outbound) are only provided through private companies at a cost to the user

If you have arrived in the Bailiwick and are required to take a COVID-19 test on day 8 or day 9 following your arrival, these will take place at the East Arm at the Harbour. The only exception to this is for certain critical workers who will receive their own personalised testing regimes which will include the location of the testing. The East Arm is a drive through testing centre and, therefore, you must arrive in a car or on a motorcycle with a full face helmet only. You cannot walk or arrive on a bicycle. Guernsey Taxi drivers will accept fares to the East Arm testing centre.

A map of where the East Arm is located can be found here: https://covid19.gov.gg/support/getting-tested  

Your day 8 or day 9 tests will be automatically scheduled based on your day of arrival. Around 2 days before the test is due you will receive a call from a member of the Travel Tracker team to advise you of the date and time of the test. Please remember to take your smart device with the Travel Tracker app on it to the testing centre on the day of your test.

Our team will be calling from a ‘number withheld’ or ‘private’ number so please accept calls if you are expecting information regarding a COVID-19 test. We will try to call you twice. If we do not get a response an email will be sent to the email associated with your Travel Tracker account. The email will confirm the date and time of your test.

If there is no response to phone calls or email, the Guernsey Border Agency will be advised and they will make contact with you to check that all is ok and to ensure that you take the necessary tests.

When travelling into and out of the Bailiwick, passengers will need to wear a face covering to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus from any infected passengers. Passengers are asked to bring their own.

In a small contained environment such as the cabin of a plane, the use of a face covering can prevent the spread of infectious droplets from an infected person to someone else. It can also prevent the potential contamination of the environment by these droplets. The use of a face covering does not remove the need to practice good respiratory hygiene.

You must not travel if you have any Symptoms of COVID-19.

Aurigny exempts the following groups from wearing a face covering:

• Children under the age of eleven;
• Those with a valid reason supported by:
  • A medical certificate;
  • An exemption document from the UK government website – see here; or
  • A sunflower lanyard.

Face masks or face coverings should be secured to the face without being held. Coverings such as scarves, snoods, balaclavas or any similar items aren't acceptable for travel and will not be permitted. A religious face covering which covers the nose mouth and chin is acceptable.

When you arrive in Guernsey your onward travel options to your final destination will depend on whether you are required to self-isolate or not.

For passengers not required to self-isolate on arrival you may continue as normal and use any public transport method. Please note that buses may not be accepting cash payments at this time.

Passengers who are required to self-isolate must not use the bus service. You must also not walk or cycle to your final destination. You must continue to wear a face covering until you reach your final destination.

Taxi availability at the time of your arrival cannot be guaranteed so please ensure that you pre-book to avoid delays to your journey. 

Read more here: Travelling to, from and through the UK | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg)

If you have any enquiries regarding bookings you already have, please contact your carrier:

• Aurigny, 01481 267267
• Blue Islands, 01234 589200
• Condor Ferries, 0345 609 1024

For the Frequently Asked Questions, please go to: Current Travel Requirements - Frequently Asked Questions | States of Guernsey - COVID-19 (gov.gg)