Frequently Asked Questions

• The kit includes a packaged self-sample swab, liquid tube, sealable bag and a set of instructions of how to complete the self-swab test correctly and prepaid envelope labels.
• Your PCR positive/negative results are published within 24 hours of us booking your sample into the lab and are viewable in the online customer dashboard.
• Gov.uk recommend registering with the NHS app for your COVID Pass before booking international travel or access the NHS COVID Pass via the NHS website to view, download or print.

• do not need to take any COVID-19 tests before you travel or after you arrive
• do not need to fill in a UK passenger locator form
• do not need to quarantine when you arrive

This applies whether you are vaccinated or not.

You can buy your Coronafocus PCR tests up to 6 months before travelling. If ordered before 12pm (GMT) we will arrange dispatch of your test for next day delivery (excluding bank holidays). Once a self-sampling Coronafocus swab has been taken, it must be returned by Royal Mail 24 using the prepaid envelope in any Royal Mail priority post box located in every town or hand delivered to our Lab 24/7.

If your flight asks for a test to be done 72 hours in advance, ensure you allow time for your test to be delivered. Please note that delivery to Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands/Islands may take 2-4 days.

Example: if flying on a Saturday, then we recommend ordering your test latest on the Tuesday before noon GMT prior to date of travel. So in order to receive and take the self-sample swab for testing on the Wednesday prior to flying, this requires return dispatch to our lab using the prepaid envelope, so that our lab receives it on the Thursday prior to flight. Results would then be available for viewing on the online dashboard, details in confirmation email on the Friday before flight. We cannot guarantee that the swab will arrive the day after postage, as this depends on the Royal Mail service which can sometimes take longer than 24 hours. This is why we recommend travellers endeavour to purchase well in advance of travel.

• The date and time the swab is taken must be entered in the online customer dashboard to enable lab processing.
• You can search for “User registration” or “Oncologica”, in your inbox or junk mail.
• Customers who have booked through a different provider will have been given a pin code by that provider, they should enter this to activate their kit.
• Activating your PCR test kit via mobile phone is not recommended. Customers should be are advised to use google chrome on a laptop or desktop.

The five boxes on the dashboard should be filled with the date (day/month/year), and time (hour/minutes). This should be done in 24hr format.

To access your results in our customer dashboard you must register and activate your test kit in the online customer dashboard. We will not process your returned self-swab test until this is done. You must then enter the date and time swab taken in the 5 boxes in the online customer dashboard otherwise your sample will be placed on hold. Your results are published within 24 hours of Oncologica receipt of your activated and swab date stamped self-sample swab at the lab, for viewing or certificate download. If the test kit is sourced through a third-party then login using the details provided by the company you booked through. Very infrequently, your swab result may be returned as inconclusive. This can be caused by poor sample taking technique. As a result, you may not have the time to purchase another kit for delivery before your flight.

If a PCR test has returned a result that is Inconclusive/Unclear it is on the cusp of detectability. It is possible that you had the virus when the test was done, so you must take another test. We ship a replacement kit for Unclear tests and advise you to re-swab.

Lateral Flow Device (LFD) antigen tests, commonly known as Lateral Flow Test (LFT), look for proteins produced by the COVID virus called antigens. As providers of lateral flow tests, we meet the gov.uk published standards.

• Packaged self-sample swab
• Packaged SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test Cassette
• Extraction liquid buffer tube and dropper tip
• Waste bag
• Kit box which includes a pop out section which converts into a tube holder
• How to complete the self-swab test correctly instructions
• How to upload result photo, for verification and certification instructions
• A simple, easy to use Coronafocus web app (and mobile app coming shortly) to submit results, securely and stress free.
• Clinical team verification and medical signed certificates within 2 hours
• Government accredited testing provider
• CE marked rapid antigen (lateral flow kits) approved by the UK MHRA, DHSC

The Flowflex SARS-CoV-2 Lateral Flow Device (LFD) Antigen Test manufactured by ACON uses a gentle nasal swab to take a sample from both nostrils. The swab is inserted into the extraction tube with the extraction fluid and then rotated and pressed to make sure that the sample from the swab is released into the extraction fluid (the swab is then discarded). You take the extraction tube with the nozzle cap and place 4 drops of extraction fluid into the sample well of the LFD testing cassette and check your results after 15 mins and before 30 minutes have passed on the test cassette. Do not read after 30 minutes. Two lines appearing on the cassette indicate a positive test result. One line on the cassette indicates negative or invalid tests (see instructions in kits for more details).

If your destination country rules ask for a Pre-departure LFD test to be done 72 hours in advance of cross border travel, ensure you allow time for your LFD test to be delivered. Do NOT take your LFD test outside of your pre-flight test window specified by your destination country. Please note that delivery to Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands/Islands may take 2-4 days.

Example: if flying on a Saturday, then we recommend ordering your test latest on the Thursday prior to date of travel. The kit will be delivered the next day for all Monday-Friday orders received before midday GMT and for all orders before 11:30am on Saturday and Sunday for you to take the self-sample swab for testing on the Friday prior to flying, this allows time to upload your result and receive verification from our Healthcare team. Verification of your result will then be confirmed within 2 hours of upload, with your travel certificate emailed on the Friday before flight. We cannot guarantee the Royal Mail delivery service which can sometimes take longer than 24 hours. Hence, we recommend travellers purchase test kits well in advance of travel. If you have not received your Lateral Flow Device (LFD) antigen test certificate after 2 hours of result upload, please check your spam/junk folders. For all Lateral Flow tests, please direct enquiries to coronafocus.formstack.com/forms/b2csupport.

• Follow the link https://coronafocus.app/login to log into an existing Coronafocus account or use the username and password sent via email when ordering the LFD kit. Once logged into the app you will be able to view your test kit orders, assign them to a person and then access the lateral flow test result image upload section.
• Read and follow the Flowflex instructions for swabbing and processing results in your kit very carefully as if not done correctly, your result may be invalid.
• Take your LFD test within the pre-flight timeframe specified by your destination country (note within 3 days if entering the UK).
• Follow the test result image upload and verification instructions in your kit to take a photo of your test results at the correct time. Your test must be completed and submitted within 30 minutes, or the result will become invalid.
• Place your completed test cassette on the instruction leaflet area marked to frame images for taking the upload picture.
• Ensure prior to uploading and submitting the Lateral Flow Device (LFD) Antigen test result image for verification, that you have sufficient charge, a stable internet connection and a high-quality camera.
• To perform the test verification, we require you to upload a photo of completed test and may also request proof of identification documentation. You are responsible to ensure that the submitted photo is in focus and of sufficient quality, contains the information required and are delivered in the time frame specified in our instructions and the timeframe stipulated by your destination travel rules. We reserve the right to reject any images not meeting the above requirements and we take no responsibility for failure to complete the image verification and produce results certification due to these factors.
• You will receive a doctor-signed certificate within 2 hours of successful upload of a photo of your test result.

For children travelling abroad check entry requirements for your destination country. GOV.UK foreign travel advice.

All orders placed before midday (GMT) directly with Oncologica are dispatched via DPD the same day for next Day delivery (excluding on bank holiday). Please note that delivery to Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands/Islands may take 2-4 days.

Return the self-swabbed sample using the pre-paid Royal Mail 24-hour tracked envelope provided. Post the envelope in a Royal Mail priority post box located in every town. These are normal Royal mail postal boxes on the streets with a priority label on them https://www.royalmail.com/services-near-you#/ or on the Royal Mail app. Or you can hand deliver swab samples to Oncologica, Suite 2, The Newnham Building, Chesterford Research Park, Little Chesterford CB10 1XL to avoid postal delays. You can arrange your own private courier to deliver the swab directly to our lab which is open 24 hours 7 days a week.

To avoid dispatch delays outside of our control please order at least 3 working days prior to required. Delays by Royal Mail return service are outside of our control. It is your responsibility to return the swab to us in sufficient time.

For advice on when you might need to self-isolate and what to do, go to www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19 and read ‘Self-isolation and treating symptoms’.

Both sample time and result time are recorded in UK time.

Although our certificates provide the key details required for travel, we cannot be held responsible if a destination country chooses not to accept it as proof of testing.

Oncologica is a private provider for testing, both COVID 19 PCR and lateral flow antigen tests. Being a private provider means that your COVID 19 test result will not be viable with the NHS app. The NHS app is for NHS COVID 19 tests only. We report all results for COVID 19 tests to Public Health England (PHE) and Track and Trace via a separate, private server, with the data that is completed on your UK arrival declaration submitted on test order. The COVID-19 test result certificate that is sent to you via email and which is also downloadable via our Coronafocus app is proof of your test result detailing the minimum information required by the DHSC including a confirmation, scannable, QR code.

At the point the confirmatory PCR test result is known, and this is a positive result. Test results will as normal be referred to Test and Trace.

Oncologica’s genomic sequencing lab can process 40,000 tests per day. We have been at the forefront of genomic coronavirus lab testing during the pandemic and have undertaken thousands of daily Covid-19 PCR tests to help safeguard human health.

For queries relating to kit supply, delivery tracking, activation and results reporting for PCR testing purchased through a third party, please contact the company from whom you purchased your service for support. We do not receive personal details for kits and testing services purchased through third parties.

We do not accept cancelled tests. Booking a correct test can be done at our website. A Coronafocus Test Kit is a product supplied by a health care professional and all orders are final when booked online. You have no statutory right to cancel your order or return your Coronafocus Test Kit. We reserve the right to cancel Coronafocus Test Kit orders and refund you the fee paid, should we have insufficient stock or be unable to deliver to the postal address provided in the online booking.