United Kingdom Reopening to Canadian Travellers: What You Need to Know

The UK has been more conservative in terms of reopening to foreign travellers during the pandemic, at least compared to its European neighbours. 

Canadians were first permitted entry to the United Kingdom without quarantine on August 30, 2021; rules have been changed multiple times since then, so keep an eye on this page for any updates.

United Kingdom Travel Restrictions

Throughout the pandemic, the UK has been well-known for implementing a “traffic light” system, in which all countries are placed on “green”, “amber”, or “red” lists based on their COVID-19 data.

These days, the UK has loosened their restrictions significantly — there are none.

How Can Canadians Enter the United Kingdom?

Travellers are allowed to enter the UK through all international airports, by train, and by sea, in the way of a cruise. As of October 2021, when departing Canada by air, travellers are required to present proof of vaccination.

All travellers may enter the UK just like pre-covid times, meaning no tests, no quarantine, and no forms.

Any upcoming changes are also announced on the UK Government website, where you can filter between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Testing & Quarantine Upon Return

As of April 1, 2022, a negative test is no longer required prior to travelling back to Canada.

If you do need to find a test, these should be easy enough to acquire in the United Kingdom, with tests conducted at nearly all medical clinics across the country. The easiest option might be simply doing it at the airport before departure, starting at £25 ($42).

Alternatively, consider purchasing a Switch Health RT-LAMP or antigen test kit for an easy remote testing option via telehealth video link.

Current Health Requirements in the United Kingdom

Across England, Scotland, and Wales, the majority of restrictions have dropped and life is more or less back to normal.

In Northern Ireland, the vaccine passport requirement has been dropped and there are no other restrictions.

In Scotland, proof of vaccination is mandatory beginning October 1, 2021 (via either the NHS Scotland app or a paper copy of your vaccination record) in order to enter late night venues and large events.

Wales will have the same vaccination rules beginning October 11, 2021. Proof will be required via the NHS Covid Pass and will otherwise require a negative lateral flow COVID-19 test taken within the past 48 hours.

Otherwise, Scotland and Wales have largely done away with social distancing outside of healthcare settings; however, masks remain compulsory on public transportation and in indoor spaces such as shops.

While had England had re-introduced masking as a way to combat the omicron variant, the requirement has since been dropped.

How to Get to the United Kingdom

Pre-pandemic, airfare between Canada and the UK was fairly affordable at around the $700–800 range for a round-trip flight in economy class.

Those fares have largely returned on both Air Canada and British Airways for the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, so a simple round-trip booking may be your best bet if you’re happy to fly in economy class.

If you want to travel in greater luxury, then the first loyalty program that comes to mind for most Canadians is Air Canada’s Aeroplan program, given the ease of earning and its favourable rates for long-haul travel.

Direct flights to London will cost 60,000 Aeroplan points from the East Coast and 70,000 Aeroplan points from the West Coast per person one-way in business class. Of course, the price can fluctuate due to the dynamic nature of Air Canada flights.

Alternatively, you can use British Airways Avios to fly Aer Lingus from either Toronto, Chicago, Boston, New York, Washington Dulles, or Seattle to Dublin. Flights from the former start from 50,000 Avios one-way in business class, while flights from Seattle will start from 62,500 Avios one-way in business class.

From Dublin, you can use more Avios to book a connecting flight into London or take a cheap Ryanair flight.

The reason to fly into Dublin instead of London is because direct flights on British Airways attract atrocious fuel surcharges. Furthermore, while this does incur a connection, it is not any more inconvenient from a COVID-19 perspective, as transit passengers from Dublin are not subject to additional testing requirements.

The British Airways website does not show Aer Lingus space, so use either ExpertFlyer, Avios.com, or the United Airlines website. I prefer ExpertFlyer, as United sometimes shows phantom award space.

If you’re an aspirational traveller looking to celebrate your first post-pandemic trip with some luxury flying, you could consider aiming for Lufthansa First Class from a US gateway airport via Frankfurt or Munich for 100,000 Aeroplan points.

Conclusion

The United Kingdom has greatly revamped their entry requirements due to the evolving omicron variant..

There will now be a pre-departure test that must be taken within 48 hours of departure as well as an on-arrival test-and-quarantine release scheme.

In terms of countries reopening to Canadian travellers, I myself am excited for this one. I’ve been on many a return trip since my study abroad in London, and I’m always looking forward to revisiting my favourite old haunts.

As always, you can refer to our Travel During COVID-19 Resource for Canadians for the most up-to-date information on travelling in the pandemic era.