Swiss travellers no longer have to quarantine for UK

Passengers at Heathrow Airport, London, in June Keystone / Will Oliver

Those travelling from Switzerland will no longer have to self-isolate for two weeks when they arrive in the UK, the UK authorities have announced.

On Friday, the UK government issued a list for England of more than 70 countriesExternal link for which it was no longer necessary to undertake 14 days of Covid-19 quarantine. This includes Switzerland, as well as neighbours France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Liechtenstein.

Northern IrelandExternal link, WalesExternal link and ScotlandExternal link have also lifted their quarantine restrictions for Switzerland.

From today, you will not have to self-isolate when you arrive in the UK, if you travel from Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France, Germany, & other countries.

The full guidance can be found here: https://t.co/nzCCllezwTExternal link pic.twitter.com/89ynHGcDI4External link

— UK Embassy Berne (@UKEmbassyBerne) July 10, 2020External link

There are however different self-isolation rules and penalties depending on where you are travelling to in the UK, the UK embassy in Bern stated.External link It is best to check the latest guidance. For example, Scotland still requires people travelling from Spain to quarantine, unlike England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Travel corridors

Before Friday Swiss travellers were required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in the UK. The introduction of “travel corridors” has now changed that.

However, passengers from exempted countries must complete a passenger locator formExternal link and must present these details upon arrival in the UK. The measures affect travel by air, rail or boat.

Passengers are still required to self-isolate if they have visited any country that is not on the list in the previous 14 days, the guidance says.

Switzerland lifted its entry restrictionsExternal link for the European Union, EFTA states and the UK on 15 June.