No quarantine in UK for Indians students fully vaccinated with Covishield

In a major policy change on Monday 11 October, the UK government eliminated 10 days mandatory quarantine requirement for all the travellers, including international students, arriving from India who have taken both doses of Covishield. The UK now recognizes Indian covid-19 certification, and it can be used to prove the vaccination status.

The British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, confirmed it on Twitter, "No quarantine for Indian travellers to UK fully vaccinated with Covishield or another UK-approved vaccine from 11 October. Thanks to the Indian government for close cooperation over last month."

The UK Government considers travellers arriving in the UK fully vaccinated if they have completed an approved vaccination course 14 days before departure. The day of the last dose will not be counted as one of the 14 days. As of now, the following vaccinations have been approved by the UK government.

Approved Covid-19 vaccines in the UK

• Oxford/AstraZeneca
• Pfizer BioNTech
• Moderna
• Janssen

In India, the formulation of AstraZeneca is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under the name Covishield and it has been now approved by the UK Government.

Things to keep in mind before travelling to the UK

• Before travelling to the UK, travellers from India must book a COVID-19 test. Upon booking, the travellers will receive a COVID-19 Test Booking Reference Number that must be entered in the passenger locator form. The passenger locator form must be completed any time in the 48 hours before arriving in the UK.
•  Upon arrival, the travellers will have to take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2. 
• The travellers who have not been fully vaccinated can also travel to the UK, although they will have to quarantine at home or in the place where they are staying for 10 days.

Earlier, the UK made it mandatory for all Indian travellers to quarantine for 10 days, even if they have been fully vaccinated. In retaliation to this, India took reciprocal measures for all travellers coming from Britain. Responding to India's decision, The British High Commission spokesperson had said, "The UK is continuing to work on expanding the policy to countries and territories across the globe in a phased approach. We are continuing to engage with the Government of India on technical cooperation to expand UK recognition of vaccine certification to people vaccinated by a relevant public health body in India". Now that the UK has recognized Indian vaccination certification, the Indian government has also withdrawn the reciprocal measures for UK citizens coming to India.

India is one of the primary source countries of international students for the UK. In fact, in 2021, more than 62,500 study visas have been issued by the UK to Indians, a nearly 30% increase over the previous year.

Students planning to study in the UK are advised to consult the experts at Pyramid e-Services. The experts at Pyramid are well-versed with all the latest UK travel norms, and they also help in shortlisting the right course and institution as per the student's interest, academic record and available funds. Pyramid is a government-approved study visa consultancy that has been helping students looking to study abroad, for more than 17 years. Interested students can contact the experts at 92563-92563.