COVID rules from Republic Of Ireland to North Ireland during a coastal tour ?

Hello dears,

I want to tour Ireland in a camper van with my partner for 3 weeks. We are departing from Cork with our digital COVID European pass and our recovery certificate and inquiring about whether we have any legal obligations to fulfil while crossing the coast of Northern Ireland during our coastal round-trio of Ireland. Thanks for your help!

Cheers,

Blaise

Hi Blaise,

I'm happy to hear that you are planning a road trip! 🚙

When traveling to the Republic of Ireland, you are required to fill out a Passenger Locator Form before departure. The form requires for you to state the addresses where you will actually be staying during your visit in the Republic of Ireland, so for example for you, campsites. You can update any changes by sending an email to passengerlocatorform@plf.ie 
We recommend for you to keep proof of this email.

In order to cross the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, there are still a number of requirements for people coming from "amber countries", even for fully vaccinated travelers. You'll have to fill a UK Passenger Locator Form within 48 hours of arrival and present a negative Covid-19 test of less than 72 hours with another test on day two after arrival.
France is in the list of amber countries.

Please note, if you've been in the Common Travel Area within the last 10 days, this includes the Republic of Ireland, you won't have to fill out a Passenger Locator Form when travelling to Northern Ireland and you can take a rapid lateral flow device test (LFD) to travel.

There is also a discussion about the same topic here in French.

I hope this helps! If you need as well itineraries ideas for your trip, let me know! Please note you can post as well in French, if you prefer! 😊

Weena

Hi Weena,

thanks a lot for your very detailed answer, that's super nice ! We'll make the LFD Test in North Ireland, after at least 10 days in Republic of Ireland for sure :-)

We will sleep most of the time in our converted van, so we will give the address of our first place of residence (I read on another topic that this was possible this way).

Cheers,

Blaise

Hi Blaise,

It sounds like you'll have a lovely time driving around the island! 😊

Regarding the Passenger Locator Form, providing the address of your first place of residence is the right thing to do when you submit the form before departure. However, since you're going to change places regularly during your trip, you'll be required to email your updated addresses (passengerlocatorform@plf.ie) once arriving in each campsite. This information is used by the authorities to help contact tracing. That's why, keeping a proof of these emails is recommended in case of controls. 

You can find more details about the Passenger Locator Form and the recommendations if any of the information provided in the form changes after arrival on the official resources. 

Wishing you a wonderful stay,
Sophie