France-UK travel: Can a day two UK test be delivered to any address?

I am travelling to the UK from France and need to book my day two test. However, I am staying in a hotel and they say they cannot accept packages on my behalf. Is it possible for the kit to be sent to a different address to your accommodation or home?

Yes, it is possible for a day two test to be delivered to an address which differs from that of the place where you will be staying during your trip or where you live.

Read more:France-UK travel: Cheaper Covid ‘day two’ tests to begin October 24

The Connexion contacted four UK private test kit providers and all confirmed this.

A spokesperson for Well Pharmacy stated that the company can deliver to any UK address. “When you purchase the kit, you just need to provide that address for delivery,” she said.

“We would also recommend that you purchase the test well before entry to the UK as someone at that address will need to provide some information from inside the physical kit.

“This is because you will need to complete a passenger locator form”, in the 48 hours before your flight departs, for which you “will need a [day two test] booking reference.

Read more:Covid-19: Rules for travel to and from France

“[Our] booking reference is WELPH + the last seven digits of the RD barcode on the physical kit and we cannot provide this at the point of order or dispatch.”

ExpressTest said that it is “up to you to choose the delivery address.” However, travellers should be aware that they are responsible for making sure that the kit is delivered.

A WebMed Pharmacy spokesperson stated that: “you can choose any delivery address,” so that the kit is sent to “wherever is convenient for [you].”

Finally, Breathe Assured confirmed that “it can be any address that you would like the test to be delivered to,” given that there are multiple reasons why a person may not be able to take delivery of the kit at their accommodation.

It also added that – provided that the test has not yet been dispatched – it is possible to change the delivery address by revisiting and managing your order on the website.

If you cannot guarantee that anyone will be available to receive your delivery, you can also take a day two lateral flow or PCR test at a test centre. These are located in towns and cities across the country, and several airports are also offering a testing service for people arriving in and departing from the UK.

Tests carried out in centres and airports must also be booked in advance, so that you can obtain a reference number for your passenger locator form.

What is the day two test?

Everyone arriving in the UK who is over five years old (11 years old in the case of Scotland) needs to take a test on or before the second day after their arrival (day 0).

For fully vaccinated adults travelling to England from a non-red list country, this can be a lateral flow test but Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland still require it to be a PCR test.

However, Scotland and Wales will be allowing lateral flow tests from October 31.

Read more: The rules for children and travel from France to the UK

Unvaccinated adults and all those travelling from red-list countries must take a PCR test on or before day two and on or after day eight.

If your day two test is a PCR, you will normally take a swab at home and send the kit back to the laboratory.

Day two lateral flow test results can be determined at home within half an hour of taking the test. Travellers will generally need to upload a photo of their test onto a website, along with a booking reference from their test provider, so as to have the results verified.

Some companies are offering a video appointment service, whereby the customer takes the test while being guided by a health professional over video call.

Lateral flow tests begin at around £22, while PCR tests generally cost £55-£75.