UK-US travel, 2021/2022

Sitting in the 1903 lounge at Manchester airport after an easy and fast check in with VA.

Although we had our proof of vaccination on our phones, we had everything printed off including our our vaccination details in letter form, which we had requested through the NHS app.

The lady said she loved folks who were this organised ::yes::

The CDC attestation form she informed us was out of date, we only printed it off a week ago, but we had filled in the Attestation online and they also had a paper copy it you needed one, it was one page and very simple.

They checked we had proof of vaccination, a negative covid Antigen (LFT) and completed the Attestation form and that was it, it really was easy and stress free after weeks of stressing over whether we had the correct info they would require.

Relaxing with tea now…….:wave2:

This is great to know, we're flying out of Manchester with Virgin a week today. We haven't done the attestation yet, but have our tests booked for Monday. Covid passes on our phones and also printed out!

How did you prove the negative test result? I am assuming a printed email result etc is acceptable?
 
This is great to know, we're flying out of Manchester with Virgin a week today. We haven't done the attestation yet, but have our tests booked for Monday. Covid passes on our phones and also printed out!

How did you prove the negative test result? I am assuming a printed email result etc is acceptable?

We had a nurse supervised appointment online were issued with a Fit to fly certificate. After the test showed negative, she emailed it through separately and we printed it off from downloads on the laptop.

We used Breathe Assured who were brilliant and she waited on the zoom meeting till both our certificates came through to check all details were correct as everything had to be perfect, names and passports, address, date of test and so on had to be precise. But it was a proper printed certificate you’ll get, not just the details in an email.

It sounds worse than it is to be honest. But the lady at the airport did check through the certificate to make sure first and foremost it showed negative and then everything matched our passports.

Printing everything is definitely a good idea.

Hope it all goes well for you next Monday, it is quite nerve wracking making sure everything is in place.
 
On the basis of nothing reported, either here or in the news, it would seem the potential problem of NHS vaccine certificates not giving a middle name, and thus not matching a passport exactly, has not been an issue for USA travel.
 
On the basis of nothing reported, either here or in the news, it would seem the potential problem of NHS vaccine certificates not giving a middle name, and thus not matching a passport exactly, has not been an issue for USA travel.

I didn't think it would be, just another case of internet Chinese whispers causing unnecessary stress. You have to remember the USA rules for entry apply to all countries, not just The UK, not just Europe but to countries like China, Mexico etc etc. Not all countries and cultures have middle names, so the USA have to go with just first and last names, as thats what the majority of people worldwide will have on their passports and official vaccine documentation.
 


We had a nurse supervised appointment online were issued with a Fit to fly certificate.

I come back from Italy on the 29th and leave for Orlando on the 2nd. I was thinking I could do an Antigen test on the 1st and it would work both as a day 2 test for the return Flight and the test to fly out to the US.
Would my plan work? Or is the Fit to fly a certificate they issue only if the test is booked specifically for it?
 
I didn't think it would be, just another case of internet Chinese whispers causing unnecessary stress. You have to remember the USA rules for entry apply to all countries, not just The UK, not just Europe but to countries like China, Mexico etc etc. Not all countries and cultures have middle names, so the USA have to go with just first and last names, as thats what the majority of people worldwide will have on their passports and official vaccine documentation.

No. They can have a rule that says the name(s) on the vaccine documentation need to exactly match the name(s) on your identification document. Easy Peasy and no worries about countries using/not using middle names.

Not saying that is it the rule, but it easily could be (and has been in other instances - the wording is often about "exactly matching", nothing about how many names are there).
 
Not all countries and cultures have middle names
That's not the issue. It's when an application requires the names on the vaccine doc to exactly match the passport, as does the Spanish system. I had to tell a little porky on my application to get the necessary 2D code for entry, so it was a bit of a worry until I was through the arrival checks.

My passport expires in 2024 - maybe I'll drop my middle name before renewal to avoid any more worries :dogdance:
 


I come back from Italy on the 29th and leave for Orlando on the 2nd. I was thinking I could do an Antigen test on the 1st and it would work both as a day 2 test for the return Flight and the test to fly out to the US.
Would my plan work? Or is the Fit to fly a certificate they issue only if the test is booked specifically for it?

I don't think it would work. Day 2 tests do not issue Fit to Fly certificates. You have to book a Fit to Fly test for that so you would need to book two tests I think - assuming the Day 2 one is a requirement for your passenger locator form returning to the UK
 
I am flying BA and using VeriFLY. VeriFLY ask one to enter the name exactly as it is in the BA ticket. I have a hyphenated name and that’s what is on my passport, COVID pass etc., but the BA system will not accept hyphens and either runs the two names together with one capital letter or two. I am not sure whether to enter the hyphen or not in VeriFLY.
Apparently Wales has no plans to add the booster to the COVID pass.
I am going to focus a little on UOR planning today. It has been overlooked because of all the 🧞‍♂️ stuff and I want to have a strategy for Veloicoaster and Hagrids.
I have started to collect together all the small bits and pieces we take and may start a packing list. It seems like this trip may actually happen.
 
I am not sure whether to enter the hyphen or not in VeriFLY
I would run your actual name(s) wherever possible. BA must be aware of their crappy IT system by now and will let it pass when others present it correctly.

(My birth surname was three words with two spaces, no hyphens. I'm really glad I changed it decades ago :rotfl2: )
 
I don't think it would work. Day 2 tests do not issue Fit to Fly certificates. You have to book a Fit to Fly test for that so you would need to book two tests I think - assuming the Day 2 one is a requirement for your passenger locator form returning to the UK
Thanks, it would be foolish for me to risk not being allowed in the USA so I've booked a test specificaly for USA entry that gives a fit to fly certificate. I'll try to use the same order id to enter it in the passenger locator form to fly back to the UK. The test is the same so I don't see why it shouldn't be accepted. Plan B would be to use one of the at home tests I've already bought in advance, it's just an extra £21, but I'd rather save than waste them.
 
I'll try to use the same order id to enter it in the passenger locator form to fly back to the UK. The test is the same so I don't see why it shouldn't be accepted.
It's not the test that's the issue, it's the associated bureaucracy ... I assume the provider of the day 2 test reports the result to the PLF system, so if it's not ordered as a day 2 test that connection may not be there.

I hope it works and it'll be interesting to find out what happens.
 
It's not the test that's the issue, it's the associated bureaucracy ... I assume the provider of the day 2 test reports the result to the PLF system, so if it's not ordered as a day 2 test that connection may not be there.

I hope it works and it'll be interesting to find out what happens.
Yes, that's the potential problem. What does the law say? Is the requirement to take a lateral flow test within 2 days, or is it to buy a day 2 testing service that includes the test provider to communicate the result automatically*? Tomorrow I'll fill in the PLF and see if I can get away with the test I've booked.

*= which would be madness. I'm going to do a test administered by a professional in a testing centre and they might not accept it. While they accept a test at home kit where I could swab my dog instead of myself just because it has a booking number. Don't you love bureaucracy?
 
What does the law say?
I've no idea.
As you go down the 'fully vaccinated' rabbit hole at gov.uk you get to:
After you arrive in the UK, you will need to take a rapid lateral flow test or PCR test on or before day 2. You need to book the test before you travel, so you can enter the test reference in your passenger locator form.

Elsewhere on gov.uk it says:
A £1,000 penalty will also be given to any international arrival who fails to take a mandatory test,

So I'd be inclined to assume it is law and that the result is communicated - probably to NHS Test & Trace I'd think, so they can tick you off or come knocking as appropriate.
 
After a long chat with Collinson, they say I have to take two identical tests back to back on the same day. Once is to be counted as the Day 2 test and the other as pre-departure test. They must be paid separately even if they are literaly the same type of test, administered in the same place, by the same person and one after the other. Quite Kafkaesque.
 
And now we have the Omigod variant to make life that little bit more interesting ... again.

No, I'm sorry, I'm being told it's actually the Omicron variant, so maybe not so bad.

But where did epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu and xi go?
 
Tomorrow I'll fill in the PLF and see if I can get away with the test
How did it go with the PLF? Apparently it’s ‚easier‘ to fly via the UK if you are only in transit without leaving the airport before hoping on the next plane.

Who knows what happens next with the new variant anyway :( I remember when I flew back from Greece this summer which was high risk country at that time I had to get tested before flying back home which was quite a stressful experience.
 
PCR tests now required at Day 2 + isolation until negative test regardless of vaccine status coming back into UK
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top