As the travel and tourism industry gets back to somewhat of a normal routine, the surge in bookings have been seen across the sector with flight operators reporting an increase already.
The much-welcomed news comes as covid restrictions have been easing across the board - and not just for the fully vaccinated.
Recently, some places that have relaxed their rules include France and Canada.
Just this week, the Canadian Government announced that travellers arriving from any country, who qualify as fully vaccinated, will be randomly selected for arrival testing and must quarantine while awaiting their test result.
This means that children under 12-years-old travelling with fully vaccinated adults will still remain exempt from quarantine.
However, for now, unvaccinated travellers will continue to be required to test on arrival on day eight and quarantine for 14 days.
So as borders relax, what are the covid travel rules when flying from the UK to Finland and Gibraltar?
What are the covid rules when travelling from the UK to Finland?
If you’re fully vaccinated
You can enter Finland without needing an 'essential' or 'compassionate' reason.
However, you must be able to present proof of being fully vaccinated at least seven days prior to arrival.
According to the Finnish Institution for health and welfare website, the following vaccines have been approved:
| Name of vaccine | Other internationally used non-trade name or type of vaccine | Vaccine manufacturer | Marketing authorization granted by | Number of doses required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Comirnaty |
COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (nucleoside-modified) | BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH | EMA, WHO | 2 |
| Spikevax (previously COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna) | COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (nucleoside modified) | Moderna Biotech Spain, S.L. | EMA, WHO | 2 |
| Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) | COVID-19 Vaccine (ChAdOx1-S [recombinant]) | AstraZeneca Ab | EMA, WHO | 2 |
| COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (Johnson&Johnson) | COVID-19 vaccine (Ad26.COV2-S [recombinant] | Janssen-Cilag International NV | EMA, WHO | 1 |
| BIBP/Sinopharm | Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) | Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. (BIBP) | WHO | 2 |
| COVISHIELD™ | COVID-19 Vaccine (ChAdOx1-S ([recombinant]) | Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd | WHO | 2 |
| CoronaVac | COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated | Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. | WHO | 2 |
| COVAXIN® | Covid-19 vaccine (Whole Virion Inactivated Corona Virus Vaccine) | Bharat Biotech International Limited | WHO | 2 |
| Nuvaxovid | COVID-19 Vaccine (recombinant, adjuvanted) | Novavax CZ, a.s. | EMA, WHO | 2 |
| COVOVAX™ | COVID-19 vaccine (SARS-CoV-2 rS Protein Nanoparticle [Recombinant]) | Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd | WHO | 2 |
Non fully vaccinated travellers
If you cannot give evidence that you are fully vaccinated, or if you are not classed as such, you must then "demonstrate an essential or compassionate reason to enter."
The Gov.uk website states that you can use the UK’s proof of covid vaccination record or proof of covid vaccination issued in the Crown Dependencies.
They add that as well as the final vaccine dose time limit period of seven days, "proof of a full series of vaccinations is valid for nine months. If you have had a booster shot, the proof of vaccination will be valid until further notice. Proof of recovery from covid will not be accepted for travellers from the UK demonstrating their covid status."
Recovered from covid?
If you have recovered from covid and have received one dose of the vaccine, you will be considered fully vaccinated by the Finnish authorities.
The Government adds that travellers will need "evidence this on a single certificate."
Children and young people
The Government have stated that "young people born in 2007 or later" are exempt from Finland’s covid entry requirements and they do not need to provide proof of vaccination.
They will also not need to take a covid test if they are accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult or guardian.
They add: "You can use the FINENTRY service to check entry requirements and book covid tests on arrival, if applicable. Visitors to Lapland can also familiarise themselves with entry requirements on the Laplandentry website."
What are the covid rules when travelling from the UK to Gibraltar?
The Gov.uk website states that whether you can enter or not comes down to your vaccine status as well as whether the countries you have visited in the 10 days prior to your arrival are on the red list.
However, at present there are no countries or territories on the Red list.
If they update this list, you will not be allowed to enter if you have been in one of the listed destinations within the last 10 days.
As well as being fully vaccinated, travellers must:
- Complete a Passenger Locator Form
- Provide proof of vaccination
- Book an LFT (lateral flow test)
This test must be taken immediately on arrival in Gibraltar and you must self-isolate until you have received a negative result.
Proof of vaccination status
Gibraltar have said that they will accept the UK’s proof of covid recovery and vaccination record as well as proof of covid vaccination issued in the Crown Dependencies.
If you’re not fully vaccinated
For those who are not fully vaccinated, the rules are that "if you are unvaccinated and have not been in a country or territory on the red list in the 10 days before arrival, you must take a pre-departure LFT taken no more than 48 hours before arrival".
Before travelling, non-vaccinated people must also book a lateral flow test which should be taken immediately upon arrival in Gibraltar and you must self-isolate until you have received a negative result.
Children and young people
The Gov.uk website states that all air passengers, regardless of their age, need to complete a Passenger Locator Form.
This also applies to children, however they state it must be "completed by a responsible adult."
Children under 12 years do not need to take a covid test.
In addition, "children travelling from a non-Red List country who are aged 12 or over but under the age of 17 who have received a single dose of the vaccine are also exempt from taking a pre-departure covid test. Proof of the child’s vaccination status must be uploaded on the Passenger Locator Form" says the Government.
They add: "Unvaccinated children aged between 12 and 18 must take a covid test before travelling. Proof of the child’s negative test result must be shown by an adult travelling with the child upon arrival in Gibraltar."
For more travel information and the latest covid rules. visit our page here.
