Travellers face a £200 fine for leaving England for overseas without written permission from Monday morning. The UK government says that, at present, “you are only allowed to travel abroad if you have a legally permitted reason.”

Its website says that “It is illegal to leave home without a reasonable excuse. This means that, whilst stay at home restrictions apply, it is illegal to travel abroad for holidays.”

In case of doubt, it then states.

“Even once the stay at home requirement ends on 29 March 2021, it will remain unlawful to leave the UK unless you have a reasonable excuse, permitted by law.”

As a result, from Monday, March 8, 2021, a form must be completed declaring “the reason that you need to travel abroad.”

“You must complete this form if you are travelling outside the UK from England. Different rules apply for international travel from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

“You don’t need to complete the form for travel within the UK, to Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

“You should print a copy of the completed form or save it to a mobile phone or other device.

“You may be asked to show this declaration form at the port of departure. You may carry evidence to support your reason for travel.

“Entering a port of departure to travel internationally without a completed form is a criminal offence, for which you could be fined.

“If you try to travel abroad without a legally permitted reason, you may also be fined for breaching the stay at home requirements.”

To read more, see gov.uk.

To download the form, the link is….

Coronavirus (COVID-19): declaration form for international travel