COVID-19 Testing for International Travel - FAQs
Find answers to all our Covid-19 Testing FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
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Buying your tests
Our PCR testing detects all variants of the Covid-19 virus.
It is advised you order your test kits as soon as you know your travel dates.
Pre-Departure / Fit To Fly tests should be ordered at least 5 working days before your flight. This gives you sufficient time to receive your kit and provide your sample to us by returning it to our laboratory, then we process your sample and issue you your result.
Please note courier deliveries in some remote locations might take longer. Also deliveries might take longer over Bank Holiday weekends. We don’t ship on weekends as royal mail is not available to deliver on weekends. If you booked over the weekend this would be shipped on the next working day.
Please note that your order will be dispatched just before or/on your arrival into the UK which is your DAY 0 if you have purchased a Day 2 and/or Day 8 test kit
Please note that courier deliveries in remote locations, bank holiday weekends and weekends might take longer as there is no shipping available on the weekend.
Our test kits can only be sent to UK addresses. Please double check your address and aviod errors while booking.
Please see the policy on cancellations and refunds below.
This is a medical certificate that is signed by a UK General Medical Council (GMC) doctor. It confirms your Covid-19 PCR test/Rapid Antigen test status and if you are able to travel.
Test results are provided within 24 hours-48 hours of receiving the sample at our laboratory. Endaevour to ship your samples early by dropping them in priority boxes around you so it can reach the lab ontime and you can get your result ontime.
There are no deliveries or shipping on staurday and Sunday and sample delivery to our labs over the weekend can be delayed via Royal Mail.
Signing for your test kit is not compulsory but you will need to be in if the parcel is too big to fit through your letterbox.
If you are in quarantine this should not be a problem as the sample collection kits will be delivered to your isolation address.
For Fit To Fly testing and PCR test, please order in time, so your sample collection kits can be delivered as soon as possible.
We operate 7 days a week but samples are only delivered to the laborator from Monday – Saturday excluding Sunday
Our partner lab is UKAS-accredited to UKAS ISO17025. UKAS Accredited Laboratory No. 9329.
This is the internationally recognised standard for Testing and Calibration Laboratories.
We are listed on GOV.UK for:
- Fit To Fly tests
- Test to release
- Day 2 only tests
- Day 2 & Day 8 tests
Test kit and taking the sample
Our sample collection kit component suppliers are UK-based and the kit is fully assembled in the UK.
Each kit consist of:
- Instructions and test registration sheet
- Throat / nasal swab contained in sterile packet
- Plastic tube containing a small amount of liquid
- Biohazard bag containing a white absorbent pad
- Clear specimen transport bag
- Pre-paid tracked return polythene envelope
It is IMPORTANT that you complete all your details fully and accurately.
Any mistakes or errors might cause a delay to your result being issued.
There is a £25 administration fee to correct any mistakes or errors, or to amend your order in any other way.
YOU MUST register each test online to enable you get your test result.
There are full instructions on how to register your test in each test kit.
It is advised that you do not smoke, drink, eat, chew gum or brush your teeth immediately prior to collecting your sample.
The test requires you to take nose and throat swab samples using the swab provided in the test kit.
Please take note of the full instructions included in your test kit on how to take your sample.
The laboratory detects if you have sent us an inadequate or blank sample. If this happens, you are required by law to take another test to get a viable result.
You are responsible for the cost of this additional test and will not be eligible for a refund for the original test.
It is therefore very important that you collect and send us a full and proper sample. Full instructions on how to do this are included in each test kit.
Fit To Fly test:
- Please check the entry requirements and restrictions for the country you intend to travel. This helps determine whether or not a Fit To Fly certificate is needed for children travelling to that country.
- Also visit the government website for full details of all international requirements and restrictions: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Day 2 & Day 8 test:
- Children under 5 do not need to take the Day 2 or Day 8 tests.
Test To Release tests:
- The Test To Release scheme is not applicable to children under 5.
Returning the samples
The lab works Monday to Friday and remotely on weekends.
Your kit contains a pre-paid and tracked Royal Mail 24 polythene envelope.
You should post this back using one of Royal Mail’s designated Covid-19 priority post boxes.
Follow this link to find your nearest priority post box: www.royalmail.com/services-near-you.
Please note that YCT MedLabs cannot be held responsible for any delays or disruptions to Royal Mail’s postal service when returning your samples.
Yes you can. Your kit contains pre-paid addressed postal packs with which you should send your samples back to our labs.
Getting your results
Result are emailed to the email address provided when registering for your test online.
Results are provided within 24 hours of receiving the sample at our laboratory.
If your result is inconclusive, we will dispatch another sample collection kit and you will be invited to collect another sample free of charge.
All positive results are reported to PHE within 24 hours.
Fit To Fly test:
- Keep the result of your test and any Fit To Fly certificate that is issued.
- Show these to the relevant authorities when leaving the UK and upon arrival in your destination country.
Day 2 & Day 8 tests:
- YCT MedLabs has a legal requirement to send the results of all Day 2 & Day 8 tests to Public Health England.
- Keep the results of your tests in case the authorities ask to see them.
Test To Release test:
- Also keep the result of your test in case the authorities ask to see it.
Getting your results
We provide test results within 24 hours of receiving the sample at our laboratory.
Your result will be emailed to the email address you provide when you register your test online. Please ensure you enter the correct email address
In the event of an inconclusive result, we will dispatch another sample collection kit and you will be invited to collect another sample free of charge.
Due to a Covid-19 infection being a notifiable disease, we report all positive results to PHE within 24 hours.
Fit To Fly test:
- You must keep the result of your test and any Fit To Fly certificate that is issued.
- You will need to show these to the relevant authorities when leaving the UK and upon arrival in your destination country.
Day 2 & Day 8 tests:
- YCT MedLabs have a legal requirement to send the results of all Day 2 & Day 8 tests to Public Health England and we will do this.
- You must also keep the results of your tests in case the authorities ask to see them.
Test To Release test:
- You must keep the result of your test in case the authorities ask to see it.
Refunds
It is IMPORTANT that you complete all your details fully and accurately.
Any mistakes or errors will cause a delay to your result being issued.
There is a £25 administration fee to correct any mistakes or errors, or to amend your order in any other way.
There would be an additional test free of charge.
If you notify us before we dispatch your kit, we will charge a 20% administration fee.
If we have already passed your kits to our delivery partners, there is a 30% administration fee payable per kit. This administration fees cover the cost of the kit and all consumables, generating your unique ID, assembling the kit, dealing with your enquiry, packing and dispatching your kit, as well as the courier fee that we incurred.
This is a legal requirement from the Government.
You must take a Day 8 test, even if you have taken a Test To Release test and received a negative result.
The benefit of the Test to Release test is that, if you receive a negative result, you can end your quarantine early.
You either had a Covid-19 infection that was not detectable at the time of your Test To Release sample collection, or you have become infected since you took your Test To Release sample.
If you receive a positive Day 8 test result, you must follow Government guidelines and quarantine for an additional 10 days.
Yes. However, if we have already dispatched sample collection kits, an administration fee of 20% per test will apply.
Other
We do not currently operate any walk in centres but hope to open a few in future. All tests must be done via the postal service or by courier.
No.
Everybody travelling abroad must adhere to the government’s travel guidelines, even those who have had both doses of the vaccine.
The current requirements include:
- The pre-departure Fit To Fly Testcertificate, which you should obtain before travelling to most countries
- The legally required Day 2 or Day 2 and Day 8 tests, which must be taken when you return to the UK
It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand the entry requirements and restrictions in the country you are travelling to. It is also your responsibility to take your sample within the specified timeframe, according to the requirements of your destination.
You can view our range of Covid-19 tests for international travel here.
Yes – we can provide a stand-alone Day 8 test.
You’ll need:
- Your passport details or the travel document you’ll use when you arrive at the UK border
- Your travel details, including times and dates
- The address where you will stay in the UK (if applicable)
- Booking reference number(s) for the coronavirus test(s) you must take after arriving in the UK. This starts with RYCTM…. The provider name is in full: YCT MedLabs Limited.
- The invoice number for your quarantine hotel booking if you need one.
Full details are provided on the government website:
https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk
