Booking and staying in a quarantine hotel if you’ve been in a red list country
How to book a quarantine hotel and coronavirus (COVID-19) tests if you've been in a red list country in the 10 days before you arrive in England.
- a British national
- an Irish national
- anyone with residence rights in the UK
Everyone allowed to enter England who has been in a red list country in the 10 days before they arrive must:
- quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine hotel (the day you arrive in England counts as day 0)
- take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 of quarantining
- follow the national restrictions
Providing false or deliberately misleading information when filling out your passenger locator form is an offence punishable by imprisonment.
You could be fined up to £10,000, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both, if you do not provide accurate details about the countries you have visited in the 10 days before you arrived in the UK.
If you break the quarantine rules you may face a penalty of up to £10,000.
You should follow separate advice if you arrive in:
Travelling from a country that is not on the red list
You should follow separate guidance if you’ve been in an amber list or green list country.
You can also read an overview of all the things you need to do to:
Managed quarantine in a hotel: what it is
To stop the spread of potentially harmful variants into the UK, stricter measures are in place for people who have been in a red list country in the 10 days before they arrive.
Everyone who arrives into England and has been in a red list country must quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel for 10 full days from the point of their arrival. The day of arrival in England will be treated as day 0.
See more information about what to expect if you’re going into hotel quarantine, including help and support.
Other types of managed quarantine
Most people who need to stay in managed quarantine will stay in a government-approved quarantine hotel.
Exceptions to this are:
- nurses arriving in England to work for the NHS can quarantine in managed quarantine accommodation provided by the NHS trust they’ll be working for
- students travelling to attend a boarding school in England may be able to quarantine at their boarding school
Who has to go into managed quarantine
You need to go into managed quarantine unless you’re exempt because of your job or have been granted an exemption for medical or compassionate reasons.
You may need to show evidence at the border of the work you will be doing.
Unaccompanied minors
Children arriving in England from a red list country should not be travelling alone. Arrangements should be made by the parent or guardian to travel with their child and to enter managed quarantine with them on arrival.
If it is not possible for someone with responsibility for the child to travel with them, the parent, guardian or appropriate adult will need to notify DHSC at MQS_new_Exemptions@dhsc.gov.uk at least 14 days before the date of travel, and request a specific exemption for them to travel alone. Exemptions will only be provided in exceptional circumstances.
In general, a child will not be able to travel alone unless the parent, guardian or appropriate adult already in the UK can enter managed quarantine with the child on their arrival. Adults completing the booking on behalf of a child they have responsibility for should include details of an appropriate adult who will be in the in UK who is designated to enter managed quarantine.
If you are the parent or guardian of an unaccompanied minor who is attending boarding school, they may be able to quarantine at their boarding school.
What you need to do before you arrive in England
Before you travel you must:
- take a COVID-19 test and get a negative result during the 3 days before you travel. For example, if you travel directly to England on Friday, you must take the test on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
- book a managed quarantine hotel within a 14-day period before arrival. The booking will include your hotel, quarantine transport and travel tests for COVID-19 tests on day 2 and day 8 of quarantine
- complete a passenger locator form (PLF) with details of where you will quarantine when you arrive. You must provide a quarantine package invoice number to complete your passenger locator form
Book your quarantine hotel (administered by CTM)
If you’re experiencing any difficulty booking through the booking portal, please phone +44 (0)20 7429 9732.
You will need to agree to book and pay for a quarantine package before you complete your passenger locator form and board your return journey to the UK.
How much you’ll need to pay
| Rate for bookings made on or before 11 August 2021 | Rate for bookings made on or after 4am on 12 August 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate for 1 adult in 1 room for 10 days (11 nights) | £1,750 | £2,285 |
| Additional rate for 1 adult (or child over 11) | £650 | £1,430 |
| Additional rate for a child aged 5 to 11 | £325 | £325 |
For those facing significant financial hardship as a result of this charge, there will be an opportunity to apply for a deferred repayment plan when booking. You will be required to pay back your debt to the government in 12 monthly instalments.
There is no additional charge to your initial booking fee if you need to extend your stay as a result of positive tests at day 2 or day 8. We will keep package prices under review. While hotels normally set a zero fee for children aged under 3, we are setting this for children under 5 years old because they will not be tested. The proposed zero fee for children under 5 years old will mean that, for now, the government will bear the costs of additional food and drinks consumed by arrivals aged between 3 and 5 years old.
You must not apply for deferred payment if you are not eligible. If you provide false information, or omit key information that has been asked for in your application, you will be committing fraud and may be prosecuted.
If you have not arranged a quarantine package prior to your arrival in England, you face a penalty of up to £4,000 and will still have to pay for your quarantine package on arrival.
Where you can arrive
If you’re required to quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel you can only arrive in England at certain ports of entry. Currently these are:
- Heathrow Airport
- Gatwick Airport
- London City Airport
- Birmingham Airport
- Bristol Airport
- Farnborough Airport
- Biggin Hill Airport
Other ports of entry may be added in the future.
Carriers are not permitted to carry anyone who has been in a red list country in the previous 10 days to any other port of entry than those specified.
Direct flights from red list countries must arrive at dedicated red list terminals. Currently these are at London Heathrow and Birmingham Airport.
If you are required to quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel and do not arrive in England at one of the designated ports of entry, you may face a penalty of up to £10,000 and will be charged for the cost of transportation to the nearest designated port or entry.
Arriving and transport to a managed quarantine hotel
When you arrive in England you will need to provide your completed passenger locator form to Border Force officers alongside your passport and negative COVID-19 test result.
You will be escorted through the airport with other passengers who need to quarantine at a managed quarantine hotel. Your quarantine package includes transport to your quarantine hotel (and back to the airport at the end of your quarantine to reconnect to your travel plans). Please follow signs and instructions for the Managed Quarantine Service.
If you have a car parked at the airport, you will need to extend your parking period and pay the additional charges. If you need assistance with this, you can ask for that once you get to your hotel.
Everyone will need to wear face coverings at all times (unless you’re exempt).
A member of staff will make a note of where everyone is sitting on the bus, so that if someone later tests positive for COVID-19, NHS Test and Trace will be able to identify who has been in close contact.
You must only travel to your managed quarantine hotel by the transport specified in your quarantine package and not by public or private transport.
If you are a child arriving to attend boarding school and you are unaccompanied, separate arrangements will apply.
At the end of the quarantine period you will be transported to the airport you were collected from when you arrived in England.
If you enter England and intend to continue your journey directly to a country outside of the Common Travel Area (UK, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) then you do not need to book a quarantine package or enter managed quarantine.
If necessary, you may travel straight from your port of arrival to another port in England to catch a flight, train or ferry going outside of the Common Travel Area, but you must take precautions to prevent the risk of virus transmission. These include:
- keeping your distance and observing social contact rules
- washing or sanitising your hands regularly
- wearing a face covering that covers your nose and mouth (this is required by law unless you’re exempt)
- planning ahead and avoiding the busiest routes, as well as busy times like the rush hour
- downloading the NHS COVID-19 app before you travel, if possible, and checking in on the app where you see official NHS COVID-19 QR code posters along your route (such as if you stop to buy food) and if you have to take a break – otherwise minimise all stops on your journey
Quarantining in a managed quarantine hotel
When you arrive at the managed quarantine hotel you will be required to quarantine in your room for 10 full days. The managed quarantine hotel will provide your meals.
It is not possible to select a particular room at the managed quarantine hotel or to seek a higher standard room when you arrive.
You can quarantine with the people you travelled with and hotels will prioritise allocating larger or connecting rooms to families.
Visitors
You cannot have visitors in quarantine, including friends or family, unless they’re providing:
- emergency assistance
- care or assistance, including personal care
- medical assistance
- veterinary services
- certain critical public services
Deliveries
If you have items delivered to you during the quarantine period (such as food deliveries), they will be brought to the door of your room by the managed quarantine hotel staff.
Staff will try to bring the items to you as soon as possible. However, given the need to maintain compliance with COVID guidelines, deliveries may not be able to be brought to your door immediately when they arrive at the hotel.
Services available in your hotel
The hotel will provide you with information about the services available, including food, laundry and free wifi.
The hotels selected for managed quarantine are able to meet the vast majority of requirements and will be able to accommodate dietary requirements.
Medical care and prescriptions
You should bring your prescription medicines with you. You will be able to access NHS healthcare via 111 (or your normal GP) to seek medical attention, including for repeat prescriptions and/or if you need to fill a prescription. Please inform the medical staff at the hotel on arrival if you anticipate any issues.
Leaving your room
You will only be allowed to leave your room in very limited circumstances including:
- to travel directly to leave the Common Travel Area – you will be given instructions when leaving on how to reduce the risk of infection while you travel through the UK to leave, if you are not taken directly to the port of exit by the hotel transportation
- to fulfil a legal obligation including attending court or satisfying bail conditions or to participate in legal proceedings
- to exercise but only with special permission from security. This is not guaranteed
- in exceptional circumstances, such as:
- seeking medical assistance where this is required urgently or on the advice of a registered medical practitioner
- to avoid injury, illness or escape a risk of harm (for example situations such as fire or flooding, or cases where domestic abuse occurs within a group quarantining together)
- to access critical public services including social services or services provided to victims (for example critical access such as for a child to see their social worker)
- to access veterinary services where required urgently or on the advice of a veterinary surgeon (only service animals, such as guide dogs, can accompany you to managed quarantine)
Visiting dying family members and funerals
You may request permission to leave quarantine for a limited period if a close family member or member of your household is dying. You may also request permission to leave quarantine to attend a funeral. This is limited to the day of the funeral, or in exceptional circumstances where it is not possible to travel to the funeral and back within one day, it may be possible (with restrictions) to stay overnight elsewhere if you cannot stay in a nearby managed quarantine hotel.
You will need permission from security staff to ensure that arrangements minimise the public health risks. This will include agreeing a specific time with the hotel for returning to your room. You should not use public transport.
If you are permitted to leave to visit a close family member or member of your household who is dying, you should:
- wear a face covering. In some specific circumstances this may need to be a surgical-grade Type IIR face mask
- wash your hands regularly
- maintain distance and follow social contact rules
It is recommended that visits are limited to a single visit on one day.
If you are permitted to leave to attend the funeral of a close family member or member of your household, you should follow the guidance for attending a funeral during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes:
- advising the funeral venue manager and other mourners in advance that you are in your self-isolation period. It is a legal requirement for a venue manager to complete a risk assessment and take all reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Other mourners need to be aware of this prior to attending
- taking extra care to keep your distance and avoid contact with another mourner who may be clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable
- maintaining a distance of at least 2 metres at all times between yourself and other mourners
Practise strict hand and respiratory hygiene by:
- wearing a surgical-grade Type IIR face mask or higher grade, properly fitting, to minimise any risk of viral transmission from yourself to others. If a respirator mask is used (for example N95), this should be non-valved. Type IIR masks are widely available from pharmacies, supermarkets and online retailers. We advise you to provide your own face mask, but those organising the funeral may also want to ensure they have some in stock
- washing your hands more often than usual with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or using a hand sanitiser
- avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth
- covering your coughs or sneezes
If visiting a healthcare or residential setting, the healthcare or residential setting would need to be notified in advance and they should confirm they are content to the security staff in the hotel at the time of being given permission.
Testing in managed quarantine
Day 2 test
You will need to take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 of your quarantine. The day you arrive in the UK will be treated as day 0. This first test is designed to help identify any potentially harmful variants of COVID-19 at the earliest opportunity. You will not be allowed to shorten your quarantine period if you receive a negative test result, as you may still develop COVID-19. Tests will be taken in your room in your quarantine hotel.
If you receive a positive result from your day 2 test, you must continue your quarantine period restarting the 10 days beginning the day after the test was taken. If you’re in quarantine with people you’ve travelled with, they will also need to quarantine for 10 further days beginning the day after the test.
If you receive a positive result from your day 2 test, you will not be required to take any further tests because you have been confirmed with infection and will isolate through the period when you may be infectious to others.
Day 8 test
You will need to take a COVID-19 test on or after day 8, unless you received a positive result from your day 2 test. If you receive a positive test result from your day 8 test, you will be required to continue your quarantine period restarting the 10-day count beginning the day after the test.
If you have quarantined for 10 full days and received a negative result to both your day 2 and day 8 tests and are well, you may leave the managed quarantine site. Your day of arrival in England counts as day 0 of your quarantine period.
Ending quarantine early
You will not be able to end your managed quarantine early through the Test to Release scheme.
Children aged 4 and under
Children aged 4 and under will not need to take the day 2 or day 8 test but they and their family or carers should only leave quarantine if they are well.
If you get symptoms
You should order a test here if you develop at least one of these 3 COVID-19 symptoms at any point:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough
- you’ve lost your sense of smell or taste or it’s changed
Groups
If you’re in quarantine with people you have travelled with, they will need to quarantine when you receive a positive test for 10 full days beginning the day after you took your test. In a group quarantining together this could mean:
- Person A: receives a positive test result on day 2 so must immediately quarantine for 10 days starting from the day after they took their day 2 test and for the following 10 days (they do not need to take their day 8 test). The day of the test counts as day 0.
- Person B: as they are a close contact of Person A, Person B needs to quarantine immediately and for 10 days starting counting from the day after person A received their test result. The day of the test counts as day 0. If Person B is negative on day 2, they are still required to take a day 8 test. Person B then receives a positive test result on day 8 so they will need to quarantine for 10 days starting from the day after they took their day 8 test.
- Person C: as they are a close contact of Person A, Person C needs to quarantine immediately for 10 days starting from the day after person A took their day 2 test. The day of the test counts as day 0. If Person B is negative on their day 2 test, they are still required to take a day 8 test. Person C receives a negative day 8 test result, however, as they are also a close contact of Person B, person C will still need to quarantine for 10 days starting counting from the day after person B took their day 8 test. Person C still needs to quarantine to day 19 as they are a contact of Person B as well as of Person A.
If you have interconnecting rooms in a hotel, you are considered one household. If someone tests positive, other people in the same room should be moved into another room if there’s space available in the hotel. This is as a precaution to help reduce the risk that the other people in the room develop COVID-19.
If you do not take the tests you may face a penalty of up to £2,000.
Leaving managed quarantine
You will be able to leave quarantine when you have received a negative result from your day 8 test and have quarantined for 10 full days from the point of arrival (the day of arrival counts as day 0).
If you get a positive result from either of your tests, you will not be able to leave managed quarantine until 10 days have passed from the day after the date of the test.
If, despite a negative test on day 8, you develop new COVID-19 symptoms on day 9 or day 10, this would trigger a further test and extended quarantine for 10 days, if the new test is positive.
You will not be able to end your managed quarantine early through the Test to Release scheme.
People who do not need to quarantine
A very small proportion of people arriving in England who have visited or passed through a red list country will not need to quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel or in private accommodation.
See the full list of job exemptions and information on exemptions from managed quarantine for medical or compassionate reasons.
The guidance on ordering a test if you develop symptoms still applies to exemptions.
Circumstances not covered by this guidance
If you’re intending to travel to the UK in the next 14 days and are facing a set of circumstances that are not covered by this guidance, use the following email addresses for enquiries relating to:
- arrival from a red list country: MQS_Operations_Generalquery@dhsc.gov.uk
- arrival from green or amber list countries: dhsctesttrace.customerfeedbackteam@nhs.net
Last updated 4 August 2021
