International travel restrictions end

Following agreement at a cross-UK meeting, all international travel restrictions for people coming to Scotland are to end.

Fully vaccinated travellers will no longer be required to complete Passenger Locator Forms under the change which comes into effect at 4am Friday (18 March).

Non-vaccinated travellers will cease taking pre-departure and day two PCR tests and no longer have to complete locator forms. 

Monitoring by the UK Health Security Agency will continue with a contingency toolkit of measures developed tailored to specific future scenarios.

The measures were agreed by the Scottish Government following engagement with all four nations.

The Scottish Government expressed concern over the lack of border control measures and – with the other devolved administrations - called on the UK Government to maintain some form of border surveillance.

However given the negative impact of non-alignment on the tourism industry, alignment was reluctantly agreed on a four nation basis.

These changes only apply to incoming travellers. People should continue to check gov.uk for the latest information on the requirements in other countries when travelling abroad.

Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson said:

“These measures significantly open up international travel and were agreed on a UK wide basis despite the Scottish Government raising concerns over the lack of border controls.

“However, we recognise the benefits of acting on a four nation basis and this will bring a high degree of normality back to travel and is extremely welcome for Scottish tourism, the aviation sector and travellers alike.

“There will be continued surveillance by the UK Health Security Agency to monitor for developments of concern and a contingency toolkit is being progressed which will enable an agile and rapid response in future to any changes.

“This could include tailored restrictions where appropriate and people may wish to continue to observe sensible measures while travelling such as frequent hand washing and respecting social distancing.”

Background

Further information on other countries’ requirements is available in UK Government international travel guidance.