COVID-19 Day 2 & 8 Testing London

You need to get tested for COVID-19 if you’re arriving in England from abroad. The test you will need to take depends on whether you are vaccinated and where you are arriving from. Children under 5 do not need to get tested on arrival. 

Fully vaccinated passengers and most under 18s arriving from non red-list countries will now require a day 2 lateral flow test taken on or before day 2 of arrival. Full details on who is considered fully vaccinated can be found here. 

Non-vaccinated arrivals are required to quarantine for 10 days, and take a day 2 PCR test + a day 8 PCR test. There is the option to come out of quarantine earlier (day 5), if you book a Test to release PCR test.

If you are arriving from red list travel ban country then you will to have quarantine in a government approved hotel and take a postal test.  Otherwise you can take your Day 2 and 8 tests with DocTap.

You need to book a day 2 and 8 tests if you are a non-vaccinated returning traveller. If you are fully vaccinated, you will only need a Day 2 lateral flow test (from £25). 

If you are not fully vaccinated, for added flexibility, we sell Day 2 and 8 tests separately from £59 each.  For an additional £59 you can add on a next day Test to Release and / or outbound PCR test.  Or for £95 you could upgrade these to same day results. 

Our Day 2 & 8 tests are taken by a healthcare professional at one of our London test centres.  We do not do postal tests and use our own courier to transport samples to the laboratory.  All tests are covered by our Quarantine Guarantee to ensure that you don't have to spend a minute more self isolating than is legally required.

There are providers selling postal kits online for a little less than we have to charge.  Unfortunately they can run into many issues including test kits lost or delayed in the post, slow results as tests pile up in the laboratory and incorrect self swab techniques resulting in an invalid test which must be repeated. We understand how important it is that you have both your results back within the 10 day quarantine window so that you can stop self isolating.  This is why we:

• Only take tests in person at one of our physical test locations in London.
• Have a healthcare professional take each swab to ensure that it is carried out correctly.
• Use our own couriers to transport tests to the laboratory.
• Only work with the fastest and most efficient labs.
• Guarantee that if you have not received your Day 8 results the following day we will offer you a same day retest the following morning, so that you do not have to self isolate for a minute longer than required by law.

We believe this assurance is worth paying a little bit more for, and imagine that the many patients we have helped after a failed postal test would feel the same way.

If you are fully vaccinated, you must take a day 2 lateral flow test. Your Day 2 test must be taken between day 0 and day 2 of quarantine (day 0 is the day you arrive in England). You may choose to book your Day 2 test before you travel, either on its own, or as a combination package with your fit to fly test.

If you are a non-vaccinated traveller, you will be required to take a Day 2 PCR test and a Day 8 PCR Test. Your Day 8 test must be taken on or after day 8 of arrival in the UK. You will have the option for Test to release on day 5. 

Example: If you arrived on Monday, your Day 2 test can be done on the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.  Your Day 8 can be done on or after the following Tuesday.  We would advise you do not delay your Day 8 test as you are not allowed to end your 10 day quarantine unless you have received a negative Day 8 test result. 

We are aware how frustrating it would be to have to continue self isolating after the mandatory quarantine period because one or both of your tests was delayed or lost in the post. For this reason we only provide in person tests and only work with the fastest and most reliable laboratories.  This enables us to offer the following guarantees:

• If your day 2 PCR and Test to Release results are not back by the advised time we will refund your fee in full and arrange a re-test free of charge.
• Book a Day 2 and Test to Release test with DocTap, and if either result is not back by the advised Test to Release deadline we will refund the cost of your Test to Release and arrange an express re-test free of charge.
• If your Day 8 test results are not back by the following evening (day 9) we shall arrange a free same day re-test the next morning so you can stop self isolating at the end of 10 day as normal.

We are legally obliged to capture the following information for your Day 2 & 8 test:

• Passport number
• Covid-19 vaccination status
• Travel information (Including flight number / train number, dates)
• Ethnicity
• Address at which you are isolating

You will be issued with a Passenger locator form reference number in your booking confirmation email (this begins with DOCTA and is followed by 7 digits).

You will receive your Day 2 results next days. We will soon be introducing the option for same day Day 2 results. If it is positive it may take longer as the laboratory will need to carry out the mandatory genomic sequencing to identify any potentially concerning variants of the virus.

Your Day 8 results will be available by midnight the following evening, unless you booked a same day test in which case it will be by 2am that night.

If you test positive for your Day 2 or Day 8 test then you need to quarantine for 10 days from the date when the test was taken.  Your household will need to quarantine also.

If your Day 2 test is positive then you do not need to take the Day 8 test.  If it identifies a 'variant of concern' you will get a further call and your contacts will also be asked to be tested.

If your day 2 test is inconclusive, you will be required to quarantine for 14 days, or until you receive a negative retest (whichever is sooner).

Yes.  If you test postive at either Day 2 or Test to Release then you will need to quarantine for 10 days from the date when the test was taken.  You will not need to take your Day 8 test (or Test to Release if you tested positive at Day 2).  So long as you have not yet taken these tests then we shall refund you for them.

Children under 5 are not required to undertake a Covid-19 test on return from abroad.  UK resident children aged 5-17 are required to take a day 2 lateral flow test, regardless of vaccination status, but they do not need to quarantine. Detailed information can be found on gov.uk.

Test to Release is a government scheme to enable non-vaccinated people arriving in the UK to reduce the amount of time for which they must self isolate.  

Non-vaccinated arrivals from outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man needs to self-isolate for 10 days.  Under the Test to Release scheme (provided you are not returning from a red-list country), you can choose to pay for a private Covid-19 test after you have been in England for a 5 full days.  We provide provide options with both same day and next day results.  If the test result is negative then you can stop self-isolating immediately.

For instance, if you arrive in the UK on Monday then Tuesday would be your first full day in the UK, and you cannot take the test for Saturday. 

If you require Test to Release, then please ensure that you select Test to Release as an appointment type on the booking page or it will not be accepted by the goverment.

When attending your appointment, please bring your booking reference number (in your confirmation email) and official, government-issue photo identification. Your ID needs to match the name that the booking is under.

Please Note: Under 16 year olds must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Both the minor and legal guardian must show a valid ID. 

Our tests are taken by a healthcare professional, however in some cases, you can perform a clinic-guided self-swab where applicable. PCR tests require a swab to be taken from the back of your throat and/or nose. Lateral flow tests require a swab from the nose. The testing procedure can be a little uncomfortable but should not hurt. 

No. We are only able to offer tests for patient who do not have symptoms of Covid-19. You will be asked to confirm this on booking.

No.  We legally have to capture additional information such as your travel history and self isolation address for Day 2 & 8 and Test to Release bookings. You will be asked for this information on the final step on the booking page.  Therefore, it is essential that you choose the appropriate appointment rather than just a PCR test when you book your test.

Our experienced healthcare professionals will be able to assist and guide the parent to take a swab from the child.

No. Given the critical importance of fast results and correct swab technique we do not entrust your test sample to the postal system.  All samples are taken in one of our London locations.  We then have our team of in house couriers who collect them to take to the laboratory. In this way we are confident we can offer the highest level of accuracy and reliability for your Covid test.

Our tests are carried out at one of our London clinics, staffed by healthcare professionals.  To select a location, simply visit the booking page and select Covid-19 Coronavirus Test / Fit to Fly.  Choose the type of test which you require and it will show you all the available clinic locations and times.

We charge extra for changing the appointment date/time/location as our prices vary depending on peak times. We can refund in full so long as you have not yet taken the test, but unable to make changes or refunds after you have taken the test. To change or cancel your test please log into your DocTap account. 

Simply book a test for the first member of your party.  Then repeat the process for another test, but on the payment screen enter the details of the second person.  Repeat for any other members of your party.

If you have accidentally booked multiple tests for the same person then don't worry, you will receive an automated email checking that this is what you wanted.  To make a change simply reply to the email with the second person's details. Please ensure we have the correct details before you take your test.

Turnaround times are explained at the time that you book your Covid-19 test.  You will receive your results and doctor's letter by email within the specified timeframe.  They will also be available to download from your DocTap portal at the same time.  We currently offer the following options for results:

• Antigen fit to fly - 1 hour
• Antibody (laboratory) - 1-2 days

After taking your test you will receive an email explaining all the notifications you will receive as your test sample moves through the testing process, together with when you can expect to receive them.  These vary a little depending on the exact test and location booked, but they are typically:

• Your test is collected by our courier to take to the laboratory
• The lab start testing your sample
• Your results are ready

If you have not received a notification by the advised time then please do let us know and we shall look into it immediately.  If the notification is not yet due then please don't contact us as it will almost certainly still be being processed and we are unable to check up on tests until they are due.

No, you will still get your results in exacly the same timeframe, regardless of which day of the week  you have your test. Our laboratories and support team operate 7 days per week, including bank holidays.

Once you have taken your test we are unable to speed up your results. We have integrated with our laboratory partners to ensure that you will automatically receive your results and doctor's certificate as soon as they are released by the laboratory.