I know what you’re thinking… you want to go on a holiday, but all of the faff that comes with it is a bit of a ball ache. Don’t you just wish there was a comprehensive article with all the information and links you need in one, convenient place?
Well, it’s your lucky day. Because I care, and because I want you to be living your best life on a beach somewhere, I’ve written one for you.
First off, here’s an updated list of the green list countries and their statuses (as of 14/07/2021):
Each country will have slightly different rules so make sure you do a quick google beforehand, but here’s everything I needed to get myself to Mallorca, Balearic Islands and back to the UK.
TESTS
Generally, for Green-List countries you will need to do:
- A Fit-To-Fly test in the UK 48 hours before you leave
I went into boots and did an in-store PCR test for £85 (you will need to register and then order a test) https://www.boots.com/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-service
The results can take up to 48 hours. For the Balearic Islands, you are required to do your test no more than 48 hours prior which felt like I was cutting it a bit fine to receive my results (I was getting ready to leave when they arrived).
In the future, I would probably opt for a Next Day Turnaround test to avoid this stress. Here’s a link for one I found for £99: https://www.assuredscreening.com
2. An antigen test in spain before you leave
This costs €30 and you can be done at most hospitals (just do a quick google search of your area). Our hotel organized tests for us and the results came within 5 minutes.
3. A day 2 test in the UK on your second day back (delivered to your house)
Boots also offer day 2 tests for £99 https://www.boots.com/covid-19-testing/day-2-day-8-covid-19-testing. You can definitely get it for cheaper if you do some digging. The one I got was £55 from https://screen4.org/product/green-country-day-2-self-test/. You will need to order this test to complete the UK entry form (below) as you are required to provide a reference number. You do not need to order a day 8 test when returning from green list countries.
FORMS
- You will need to complete a Spain Travel Health form in the UK before you leave https://www.spth.gob.es
The form was a little confusing to me so hopefully I can clear things up for you. During step 4, when it asks you to select the type of certificate you have, it is not ‘EU COVID Digital Certificate’. The correct box to check is ‘Other certificate’. You then go on to fill out the type of test carried out, which is ‘Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT).
2. You will need to complete a UK passenger locator form before you leave Spain https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk
This is pretty straight forward but a little long, so make sure you don’t leave it too last minute.
Let me tell you a quick story… A scatter-brained friend of mine thought he could get away with not filling out a passenger locator form or day 2 test on his way back to the UK. Because of this, he missed his flight and ended up stranded in Palma with no card and €20 to his name. Moral of the story? Don’t be like him.
All in all, you’re looking at spending approximately £167 on tests and 45 minutes on forms. Yes it’s annoying, but a small price to pay for the ~happiness~ your holiday will bring!
