Pathway 2: test to release

What does it mean?

On this pathway you will be required to:

• Have a COVID-19 Test within 48 hours of arrival
• Isolate until you receive a negative result
• Take another test on day 6 for ongoing monitoring and assurance purposes. The day 6 test is essential – if this is missed, you will be required to self-isolate for 21 days or until you have re-booked and received a negative result.

This pathway costs £30 per traveller (over the age of 17, for those aged 12-17 there will be no cost). Children aged 11 and under are not required to undergo testing or isolation.

IF THIS PATHWAY APPLIES TO YOU, PLEASE READ ALL OF THE INFORMATION BELOW CAREFULLY BEFORE ARRIVAL 

Application

You will need to complete the online Manx Entry Permit application form before travelling. The following groups are eligible to apply:

• Compassionate Visitors**

To attend a funeral of an immediate family member / To undertake the process of resolving the estate of a recently deceased immediate family member / To travel with the remains of a deceased family member where a post mortem is to be, or has been carried out in the United Kingdom / To care for a frail, bereaved or otherwise vulnerable immediate family member / To allow a frail, bereaved or otherwise vulnerable person to travel to the Island to be cared for by a resident family member / Where a person can demonstrate that they have strong existing ties to the Isle of Man, and need to return to the Island for compelling personal health, safety or financial reasons.

• Partners or Immediate Family members of a Manx Resident

The following will be considered to be immediate family:

a spouse or partner / father / mother / stepfather / stepmother / son / daughter / stepson / stepdaughter / grandmother / grandfather / grandson / granddaughter / sister / brother / the spouse or partner of any of the above.

• Property Owners
• Those coming to work or live (contractual obligations/key workers)

You must be able to provide evidence that you have entered into a legally-binding contract to establish a business / take up employment / purchase a property or sign a tenancy agreement. You will be asked to provide evidence of this as part of the application process. Any lease or contract of employment must be for at least 3 months. Please note, contracts supplied by friends or family will not be approved.

Please note all those over the age of 16 must apply separately.

**For those applying on compassionate grounds where they would like entry into the hospital or another care setting, or into the residence of another resident must be detailed on the application, and considered separately. Permission cannot be guaranteed.

Manx entry permit >>

For all urgent enquires regarding IMMINENT unforeseen travel into the Isle of Man, in the first instance:

Email:  TNS@gov.im

Tel: +44 1624 687171

This mailbox is monitored 7 days a week from 9am until 5pm for urgent enquiries. On receipt a member from this team will contact you. The phone line is open from 9am until 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Landing form

Once your application has been processed and approved you will receive a unique entry number; you will need this to complete a landing form. 

Landing forms should be completed within the 48 hours BEFORE arrival. 

Completion of this form any sooner would invalidate your application which may delay your onward journey on arrival. 

Manx residents do not need approval to leave the Island, however they still need to either travel under the ‘Resident pathway’ (if they have only been within the Common Travel Area within the 10 days prior to returning to the Island) or apply for a Vaccination Exemption (if they are fully vaccinated and have been outside of the Common Travel Area, within the 10 days prior to returning to the Island) to return. If you are a resident but are not fully vaccinated and have been outside the CTA, your landing form will be used to issue you with a direction notice appropriate to your situation. Everyone travelling to the Isle of Man must complete a landing form.

Once you have completed your Landing Form you will receive an email containing a QR code, which you will need to present on arrival, along with photographic ID. This QR code can either be shown on a mobile device or printed before travel. It is recommended that you carry a printed copy of your QR code when you travel. 

You MUST COMPLETE a Landing Form. Failure to do so would result in you committing an offence under the Entry Restriction Regulations which carries a maximum penalty of 3 months’ custody and a fine not exceeding £40,000.

Complete the landing form >>

Paper copies of the landing form are available for manual completion upon request. You can either request one on-board the Steam Packet vessel, call the Travel Notification Service on 01624 687171 or email TNS@gov.im to print one in advance of your flight.

Restrictions on arrival

Transport on arrival

• Arriving passengers cannot use public transport
• Hire cars should dropped off to a designated area for collection on your arrival
• You may drive your own vehicle home or to the place you will self-isolate
• You may use a pre-booked taxi service (check guidance in place with providers)
• You may also be collected by a member of your household but we would strongly encourage people to take suitable precautions (such as sitting in the rear passenger seat diagonally opposite the driver, with windows open and a face covering)
• All arriving passengers should then travel from the port/airport to their accommodation or home
• It is strongly advised that face coverings are worn in crowded or indoor spaces with limited ventilation. Some businesses may require you to wear a mask as a condition of entry
• Failure to adhere to the conditions of your self-isolation is an offence under the Entry Restriction Regulations or the Potentially Infectious Persons Regulations. The penalty for non-compliance with the restrictions placed on arrival via your direction notice may include up to 3 months imprisonment and/or a fine up to £10,000

Go straight to your place of isolation - you cannot stop on the way to enter any retail premises or visit any person.

Booking your COVID-19 test

Once you have completed your landing form you will be directed to pay for your COVID-19 test online. Once completed you will be issued an appointment for your test within 24 hours. Alternatively you will be able to book by calling the 111 team (8am-8pm 7 days a week), or if dialling from off-Island or using a UK mobile please call +44 1624 822111.

Travellers will ordinarily be able to get results between 24 - 48 hours from the point of arrival, depending on the particular arrival time and within 24 hours of a booked test.

Isolation

Travellers on this pathway may self-isolate in a household with people who have not travelled, so long as the traveller agrees to undergo testing for COVID-19. Members of the traveller’s household do not need to isolate. If the traveller tests positive, close contacts are encouraged to use the 7-day lateral flow home testing kits. Those isolating should not mix with other members of the household.

If you display symptoms you must stay at home, call 111 and follow their instructions.

Until you receive the results of your test (within 24-48 hours of the test) you must adhere to the Self Isolation rules. 

Release

Once you have completed your self-isolation period there is no restriction preventing you from returning to work – however, each traveller should discuss this with their employer to make return to work decisions suitable to the business.

While you are able to resume normal activities after you receive your first negative test, personal vigilance is encouraged for 10 days after arrival. Travellers who have spent time in an area with higher case rates do carry an inherently higher risk of infection, so personal choices you make can affect our whole Island. Be safe, be smart and be kind. This means considering hands, face, space and ventilation in settings where there might be higher risk of transmission, such as when coming into close contact or attending crowded places.

Once released YOU must attend you day 6 day test. Failure to do so will result in you being directed to self-isolate until the test has been complete and a negative result received or for a period of 21 days from the day you arrived on Island.