UK Home Covid test for travel,(first hand experience)

[ast]

A friend is intending to visit Paphos in a couple of weeks and needs to get the Covid test in the UK and Certificate to travel.
He intends to buy a home test that you do yourself then courier back to the lab as there are many advertised on-line, we were wondering if anyone had any first hand experience of these tests.
Most offer results back in 24 to 48 hrs but it leaves it a bit tight for travel, IE if your flights on a Sunday or Monday and you get the results back the previous Thursday or Friday is it accepted.
If anyone has actually been down this route done it got the t shirt it would be good to hear your feedback.
Thanks

[Mike.1940]

To guarantee getting a test back in time for a flight you will have to go private and pay.

[ast]

Yes fully aware of that, there are dozens online from £125 upwards, that's not a problem its first hand experience we are asking for, thanks.

[Jimgward]

OK, I posted on the Facebook site for my trip where I arrived on Saturday.

I ordered tests from BioGrad.co.Uk - a not-for-profit Lab that is linked to Universities and Hospitals in the Liverpool area.

I placed online order on Tuesday, at a cost of £120 each for postal. (£99 if you can attend the sites in Liverpool and Manchester, booking a slot between 7am and 11am each day.
I received the tests on the Wednesday, did the tests that afternoon, placed into Purple bag (that marks them to PO as medical tests and gets priority post) into post box before ast collection.
They obviously arrived the next morning at BioGrad, I received my result at 10pm. (they guarantee 12 hours from lab receipt)
My better-half didn’t, so I called the next morning (Friday) and they investigated. My poor writing had caused a mistake on the email address, they fixed and email immediately. (So light sweat but all ok)

I would definitely recommend.

Jim

[Jimgward]

PS - BioGrad work 7 days a week!

[sued51]

Thank you for the Biograd info!

[ast]

Thanks Jim very useful information thati will pass on.

[Dominic]

They are in the testing directory now.

https://www.paphoslife.com/directory/entry/biograd

[glang3000]

How can you prove the test was taken within 72 hours of travel with a home test kit?

doubt Cyprus will accept it.

[ast]

The lab that does the test logs the time and that is on the test cert. The time is the test time. Cyprus has accepted this for months.

[71 Trans Am]

glang3000

Well - I may have missed something in this thread - Or fail to understand how this all works and please correct me if I am wrong --- But my understanding is that you can order a test kit from any verified lab or certified NHS source and carry out the test at home - Parcel it up in the 24 hour response envelope then wait of your results from the said lab or analyser which at some point will arrive with the result and a certificate of proof - DATED and TIMED of said result from the verified/approved lab which will be accepted globally - The only flaw that I can see in this is that doing at home leaves it open to fraud --If you are very keen to travel somewhere and are able to provide a sample taken from someone that you are certain is clear of the virus then this loophole will be taken advantage of without a doubt. - But Cyprus will have to accept a clear result.

[PhotoLady]

TUI Holidays are recommending a UK company (Liverpool based, I believe) along with a discount code which brings the cost down to around £85 per test.

It's a home test kit, you register the kit online and a courier collects the sample swab to take back to the lab. Results are supposed to be turned around very quickly.

It has some mixed reviews on Trustpilot but I think it's only recently started being recommended so perhaps there may be more since I last checked.

The link to purchase along with the discount code can be found (not too easily) on the TUI website and you don't have to have a holiday or flight booked through them to make a purchase.

[Jimgward]

When I was being checked in the boarding queue, I did see NHS logos - so some are going down that route still. They either lie about symptoms, or lie to Cyprus on the FlightPass that they don't have symptoms.

The postal test uses a time you input to the lab - i.e. you mark it with the test. In theory, you could have completed the test in a previous day or so - but that would be fraud and also you would risk an invalid test due to time lapse.

[Diocletian]

We used Nomad in Bristol for two tests at £195 per person. It was professionally carried out and logged immediately onto a computer. The test was done at 10:30am and the results were back within 36 hours.
I do not see how you can do a swab at home and the time recorded being the one at the lab, or am I misinterpreting that part?