Within 3 days of departing the UK to return to the US, take another COVID test. This is required by the US CDC according to this link, and both PCR and Rapid Antigen tests are acceptable. I am planning to walk into an NHS location near the EA conference venue (like this) and get a free test. You don’t have to be a UK citizen to get free tests from the NHS (link).

My understanding is that you should not be using the free NHS test for travel and should instead book a private test, which is possible across London and at airports on the day of your flight. See the travelling abroad section of this NHS page. More practically, I think you only get a text message confirming your result from the NHS tests and this is not sufficient documentation for the CDC requirements.

What information must be included on the test result? A test result must be in the form of written documentation (paper or electronic copy). The documentation must include:

1 . Type of test (indicating it is a NAAT or antigen test) 2. Entity issuing the result (e.g. laboratory, healthcare entity, or telehealth service) 3. Specimen collection date. A negative test result must show the specimen was collected within the 3 days before the flight. A positive test result for documentation of recovery from COVID-19 must show the specimen was collected within the 3 months before the flight. 4. Information that identifies the person (full name plus at least one other identifier such as date of birth or passport number) 5. Test Result

Thanks for the writeup! I'm following this process but going to the UK a few days earlier, so I'll try this out and provide results before you leave.

I ordered a 2-day covid test and received a booking reference number. My flight arrives in London on Friday, so tomorrow morning I will fill out the passenger locator form.

Edit, 2021-10-20: Submitted all my info to the UK gov website and got a passenger locator form. I'll update tomorrow when boarding the plane.

2021-10-21: will be departing from the US for the UK on Thursday evening.

2021-10-22: will be arriving in London on Friday morning.

I wanted to say that this post is a really thoughtful and high-quality contribution.

The precise details helps save time and increases comfort with tedious but important details in travel in 2021, which many of us won't be familiar with.

I was fortunate to get off the wait-list, so I think I am going to this event and that is very exciting.

I did a little research and it seems to check out to me (some details, maybe origin-country specific, like DavidBernard mentioned, are good to update on).

Thanks again!

Related question: EAG now requires you to have a lateral flow test result within 48h of the start of the event.  Am I correct in understanding that lateral flow tests in the UK are often DIY kits, where  you don't get any formal documentation of the results? If so, does anyone know what kind of documentation/evidence the EAG staff will be looking for?

You're my hero.

Useful for: Anyone who is required to show COVID Day 2 testing verification for their flight to the UK from the US (or other "non-red" countries).

Getting my ticket through British Airways automatically sent me through a confirmation process for a "Health Passenger Locator Form." Part of this requirement is for booking a COVID test prior to arrival in London (but actually done in London). The form actually doesn't let you proceed until 48 hours prior to your arrival in London, so this information may be helpful for those approaching that window.

There is a walk-in testing site right by Heathrow Airport. You can do that right after you land to get it out of the way. They have the DAY 2 LATERAL FLOW TEST. Here is where you can book it: https://ldn.randox.com/

You'll get a reference number after you pay, which you'll be required to add to a form later. As long as you sent it to a reliable email, you can reference it with no problem. As far as I know, this is all you need if you're staying in London for fewer than 10 days.

You can take transit right there after you land. I added a bit of a buffer, but Google Maps says you can get there from Arrivals within 15 minutes. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Heathrow+Airport,+Longford+TW6,+United+Kingdom/Radisson+Blu+Edwardian+Heathrow+Hotel+%26+Conference+Centre,+London,+140+Bath+Rd,+Harlington,+Hayes+UB3+5AW,+United+Kingdom/@51.4724018,-0.4627096,14.38z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x48767234cdc56de9:0x8fe7535543f64167!2m2!1d-0.4542955!2d51.4700223!1m5!1m1!1s0x48767248b4db8263:0x13eaaf45e2a032b0!2m2!1d-0.4410154!2d51.4814337!3e3

I hope this helps! I apologize if I've made any errors because this was a bit confusing. If I have, we'll suffer together. :)

Based on this Choose-a-Provider page, there seem to be a few cheaper day 2 tests (less than £10). This one costs £1.99 but is in Park Royal, which is an hour away by public transport in , or this one is in Battersea, London and is 45 minutes away by public transport. It seems like they get booked up fast though and have less support than the Randox one.

This is great!

• Why the Randox test in particular?
• Does it seem viable to use the Day 2 test as the US return test? (I'll only be there Thursday to Monday, so a test on Saturday satisfies both requirements, if there's no other catch.)

The Randox coupon code "BritishAirways" is invalid for me.  If anyone finds another coupon code that does work, it would be helpful to share.

None of the ones on this page worked