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PCR Test Heathrow Airport

PCR Test Heathrow Airport

PCR Test at London Heathrow Airport on your arrivals and departures is required by law when you fly in and out of the country. Find your PCR Test options at London Heathrow Airport. At the airport PCR test, drive through PCR test near Heathrow Airport.

Following the discovery of the omicron variant, Covid-19 guidelines have altered once further, and PCR testing is now required upon arrival in England.

Before the end of the second day following their arrival, travellers must take a PCR test.

Passengers must self-isolate until they get a negative result. Lateral flow testing is no longer acceptable.

If you can't take your test at or near the airport, you can purchase a PCR day-two test to be sent to your house. These are frequently less expensive, with Randox Health offering a £48 at-home PCR test. Boots also has tests available.

PCR Testing Options at Heathrow Airport

In Terminal Testing Centre

PCR Express test by Cignpost

From 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., ExpressTest services are available in the arrival’s lounges of terminals two and five.

Please follow the link below to make online appointments.

Book Appointment online

  • Drive through testing
  • Park and test
  • In terminal testing centre (Available in terminal 2 and 5)
  • From £69.00

Heathrow Drive Through Test Centre

ExpressTest by Cignpost

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Test site address

Scylla Road Heathrow Airport, Southern Perimeter Road, Hounslow, TW6 3XL

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Randox testing centre (07:00 am till 18:30 pm)  

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Test site address

Rear Car Park Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel Heathrow

140 Bath Rd, Harlington, Hayes, UB3 5AW

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Remote Test by Qured  

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Test site address

Please follow the link below to make online appointments.

  • Remote (self-swab)
  • Results within 24 hours
  • From £64.00

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PCR Test Heathrow Airport

Content Source – Gov.UK – Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

If you require any further information related to Red, Amber and Green List countries rules please visit GOV.UK website. (link opens in new window)

What the PCR test involves

The test involves taking a swab of the inside of your nose and the back of your throat, using a long cotton bud.

You can do the swab yourself (if you are aged 12 or over) or someone can do it for you. Parents or guardians have to swab test children aged 11 or under.

Getting tested for travel

Travel abroad from England during coronavirus (COVID-19)

1. Check foreign travel advice for the countries you want to go to

This will tell you if:

  • the country will allow people to enter from the UK
  • you will need to show proof of vaccination status or proof of a negative COVID-19 test
  • you will need to quarantine on arrival

Foreign travel advice will also tell you if the UK government advises against all but essential travel to the country.

2. Arrange any COVID-19 tests you will need to enter the countries that you will travel to

You cannot use an NHS test for this. You must use a private test provider.

Many providers of day 2 and day 8 travel tests also provide these tests.

Find a travel test provider.

3. Find out how you can use the NHS COVID Pass to prove your vaccination status abroad

Some countries require proof of vaccination status before you can enter.

You should do this before you travel.

4. Check what you will need to do when you return to England

What you will need to do when you return to England depends on:

  • your vaccination status
  • where you have been

Travelling with children

The England testing and quarantine rules for children depend on their age.

You should also check the rules in the country you are travelling from as they may require children to take a test at the start of your journey to England.

Travel to England from another country during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Before you travel to England – fully vaccinated

Before you travel to England you must:

  • book and pay for a COVID-19 PCR test – to be taken when you arrive in England
  • complete a passenger locator form – to be completed in the 48 hours before you arrive in England

You cannot use an NHS test for your PCR test. You must use a private test provider.

You will need to enter your COVID-19 test booking reference number on your passenger locator form.

If you’re in England for less than 2 days, you still need to book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test. You must quarantine until you receive a negative day 2 COVID-19 PCR test, or until you leave England, whichever is sooner.

When you arrive in England – fully vaccinated

After you arrive in England you must take a COVID-19 PCR test. This is the test that you booked before travel.

You can take the test any time after you arrive and before the end of day 2 at the latest. The day you arrive is day 0.

You must quarantine in your home or the place you are staying while you await your test result.

Test results

If your test result is negative, you can end your quarantine.

If your test result is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day of the test is day 0.

If your test result is unclear, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the test is day 0.

If your test result is unclear, you can choose to take another private test. If the result of that test is negative, you can stop self-isolating.

If your PCR test result is delayed, you must quarantine until you receive a negative test result or until day 14 after arrival, whichever is sooner.

Check if you qualify as fully vaccinated

To qualify under the fully vaccinated rules for travel to England, you must have proof of full vaccination with a full course of an approved vaccine.

You must have had your final dose of the vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England. The day you had your final dose does not count as one of the 14 days.

The proof of vaccination must have been issued by either:

  • the UK vaccination programme
  • the United Nations vaccine programme for staff and volunteers
  • an overseas vaccination programme with an approved proof of vaccination for travel to the UK

Check which vaccines are approved and the list of countries and territories with approved proof of vaccination.

Children and other groups that can follow fully vaccinated rules

Even if you are not fully vaccinated, the fully vaccinated rules apply if you are:

  • under 18 - see Travelling with children in this guidance
  • taking part in an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial in the UK or the USA (US residents only for USA trials), or a phase 2 or 3 vaccine trial that is regulated by the EMA or SRA
  • unable to have a COVID-19 vaccination for a medical reason which has been approved by a clinician under the medical exemptions process, and you are resident in England

Read about applying for a medical exemption from vaccination using the NHS COVID Pass if you live in England.

Proving your vaccination status

If you are fully vaccinated under the UK vaccination programme, you can prove your vaccination status using either:

  • NHS COVID Pass for England and Wales
  • NHS Scotland COVID Status app
  • COVID Cert NI in Northern Ireland

Paper certificates are also available.

There are different ways to prove your vaccination status if you were vaccinated outside of the UK.

Check what proof is required for the country or territory where you were vaccinated.

If you cannot prove that you qualify under the fully vaccinated rules, you must follow the rules for people who are not fully vaccinated.

Red list countries

There are different rules if you have been in a red list country in the 10 days before you arrive in England.

Check which countries and territories are on the red list and read the red list rules.

If you are not fully vaccinated

This is what you need to do if you do not qualify under the fully vaccinated rules for travel to England.

Check this section of this guidance to see if you qualify as fully vaccinated.

Before you travel to England – not fully vaccinated

Before you travel to England you must:

  • take a COVID-19 test – to be taken in the 3 days before you travel to England
  • book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 PCR tests – to be taken after arrival in England
  • complete a passenger locator form – to be completed in the 48 hours before you arrive in England

Read more about taking a COVID-19 test before you travel to England.

When you arrive in England – not fully vaccinated

After you arrive in England you must:

  • quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 full days
  • take your COVID-19 PCR tests – you must book these tests before you travel

You must take the first test on or before day 2 and the second test on or after day 8. The day you arrive is day 0.

If you are in England for less than 10 days, you need to quarantine for the time you are here. You need to book day 2 and day 8 PCR tests. You only need to take the tests if you are still in England on those days.

If the test result is positive

If your day 2 test is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the test is day 0.

You do not need to take the day 8 test if your day 2 test is positive. If your day 2 test is negative, you must take your day 8 test.

If your day 8 test is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the day 8 test is day 0.

If the test result is negative

If your day 2 test is negative, you must continue to quarantine.

You must take your day 8 test on or after day 8.

If your day 8 test is negative, you can stop quarantine on whichever is later:

  • day 10 – day 0 is the day you arrived in England
  • when you receive the day 8 test result

Example

If you receive your day 8 negative test result back on day 9, you must continue to quarantine until the end of day 10.

If you receive your day 8 negative test result back on day 12, you must quarantine until the end of day 12.

If the test result is unclear

If the result of your day 2 test is unclear, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the test is day 0.

If the result of your day 8 test is negative, you can stop self-isolating on whichever is later:

  • day 10 - day 0 is the day you arrived in England
  • the day you received the negative day 8 test result

If your day 8 test is unclear, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the day 8 test is day 0.

You can choose to take another private test. If that test result is a negative result, you can stop self-isolating on whichever is later:

  • day 10 - day 0 is the day you arrive in England
  • the day you received the negative replacement test result from the additional test

Test to Release scheme

If you need to quarantine, you may be able to end quarantine early if you pay for a private COVID-19 test through the Test to Release scheme.

Red list countries

There are different rules if you have been in a red list country in the 10 days before you arrive in England.

Check which countries and territories are on the red list and read the red list rules.

Travelling with children

Children aged 4 and under do not have to take any COVID-19 travel tests.

Children of all ages do not have to take a COVID-19 test before travel to England.

Children aged 5 to 17 have to follow the testing and quarantine rules for people who qualify as fully vaccinated on arrival in England.

This means that they have to quarantine on arrival and take a PCR test on or before day 2.

You should also check the rules in the country you are travelling from as they may require children to take a test at the start of your journey to England.

There are different rules for children who have been in a red list country or territory in the 10 days before they arrive in England.

PCR Test Heathrow Airport

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