If you’ve heard us saying it once, you’ve heard us saying it many times – inconsistent international travel regulations are confusing for travellers and present unnecessary hurdles to the recovery of travel. And now Passenger Locator Forms are doing their bit to further muddy the waters.
Last week we published a piece on how our CEO was nearly forced to pay €2,000 in quarantine fees, because the airports had the incorrect information. This week we heard of yet another instance of how poorly communicated and confusing travel information is putting a spoke in the wheels of travel recovery, and preventing passengers from flying.
One of SafeScore’s subscribers spoke to us about how confusion over locator forms caused a delay on her flight of over an hour. Transiting through a key EU hub, she experienced chaos and endless queues because other passengers simply weren’t prepared with the correct documents.
Time is money, airlines are fined for delays, business travellers lose work hours, and travel is stressful enough as it is.
So, what are locator forms, where do you find them, and who needs you to fill them in?
What are Locator Forms?
Passenger locator forms (PLFs), capture your personal details in case of a positive Covid-19 case on a journey. Normally these forms require you to provide the following information:
- Full name and passport details
- Contact details, including phone number and email address
- Travel details, including flight numbers, dates, and times
- Your address in the country you’re travelling to
Each country has different protocols for their PLFs, and some may ask you to upload PCR test results, or vaccination documents as well. The requirements for forms for minors varies per country – we would suggest checking with your destination. We also strongly suggest travelling with both a printed and a digital copy of your form.
Where can I find Locator Forms?
In the current travel climate, it is safer to assume that all countries require locator forms. Even if it isn’t the case, at least you’ve saved yourself the extra worry!
If your journey has been booked via a travel agent, then they should direct you to the correct form requirements. Even if they do so, we advise double checking with an official website in your destination to ensure that you have the correct paperwork.
If you are booking your journey yourself, most airlines should direct you to the relevant passenger locator form at some point in the booking process. This is particularly true if you’re flying with your destination’s national carrier (for example, flying British Airways to London, Heathrow). If you don’t see anything about a PLF in this process, then take a look at the airline’s Covid-19 page for more information.
A good example of how to access the PLF page via the airline website can be seen here on British Airways’ Covid-19 page.
If you’ve had no luck with these options, then you can usually also find the forms via government sites – we’ve included some links to PLFs for some European destinations below.
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Passenger Exit Forms
A few countries also require passengers to complete exit forms on departure. These should also be found on your airline website, but if not, we would advise checking in advance.
Some Key Links to Locator Forms
Each country has different entry protocols, and often, different locator forms. That being said though, here are some links for travellers to key destinations in Europe.
The EU: The European Digital Passenger Locator Form (dPLF) has been designed to facilitate travel throughout the EU. It is currently used by Italy, Malta, and Slovenia.
United Kingdom: All travellers to the UK are required to fill in their details via the government website. The Passenger Locator Form can be found here.
Ireland: Ireland’s PLF can be found here. More details on requirements can be found on government’s webpage here.
Austria: If you are arriving from a virus variant country, then you will be required to register online via the Pre-Travel Clearance Portal. Non-vaccinated travellers from a country not on either the safe list or the virus variant list must also register via the portal. Children under 12 do not need to register.
Belgium: If you are travelling to Belgium for more than 48 hours then you must complete the Passenger Locator Form here. This form must be completed at least 48 hours before your arrival in Belgium.
Cyprus: The CyprusFlightPass PLF can be found here.
France: France requires all passengers entering or leaving the country submit a Certificate of International Travel found here.
Germany: If you spent time in a high-risk country in the 14 days prior to your journey Germany then you are required to register online via the Ministry of Health’s website. The Digital Registration for Entry can be found here.
The Netherlands: The Netherlands requires all travellers arriving by air to complete the Health Declaration form and to carry it with them on their trip. It is available as PDF via the government site, and some airlines may have a digital version.
Portugal: Portugal’s Passenger Locator Card can be found here.
Switzerland: All arrivals by air must complete the Entry Form found on the site for the Federal Office of Public Health.
Spain: All travellers Spain must complete the form found on Spain’s Travel Health website 48 hours before their trip begins. Children under 12 aren’t required to register.
Turkey: All travellers to Turkey must complete this form at least 72 hours before arriving in the country: Form for Entry to Turkey.
Don’t be caught out at the last minute – double check all your documents in advance!
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