Booking a test and self-isolating has been a crucial part of government guidance on how to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And drive and walk-through test sites have since opened across Scotland to help in the nationwide drive to improve coronavirus testing for local communities. 

Anyone in Scotland who is self-isolating because they are showing symptoms can be tested.

But where can you get tested for coronavirus in Scotland?

Drive-through testing sites

Drive-through sites are currently open at six locations across the country, as well as a number of mobile testing units which visit different towns across Scotland for short periods each time.

The current drive-through test centres are:

  • Glasgow Airport
  • Edinburgh Airport
  • Aberdeen Airport
  • Prestwick Airport
  • Inverness - University of the Highlands and Islands campus
  • Dundee – Dudhope Castle

Walk-through testing sites

You may also be able to access testing via a walk-through testing site, where you should arrive by walking or cycling and avoid travelling by public transport or taxi.

Walk-through test sites are open in:

  • Aberdeen (Roy Strathdee Building)
  • Dundee (Park Place car park)
  • Edinburgh (Usher Hall)
  • West Edinburgh (Gate 55, Sighthill)
  • Glasgow City Centre (Glasgow Caledonian ARC)
  • Glasgow West (Riverside Museum car park)
  • St Andrews (Victoria Memorial Hall)
  • Stirling (Forthside Way, next to The Engine Shed)​​​​​​​
  • West Dunbartonshire (Napier Hall)

Home tests

Booking a home test kit may also be an option, depending on availability. 

These are used in the event that someone seeking a test is unable to attend a drive-through centre.

If you complete a self-referral and order a home-test kit, the test is delivered the next day.

You will self-administer the swab, packing it up as instructed.

Each kit comes with comprehensive instructions to guide you through how to administer the swab yourself. Test kits come with further instructions and a short video to take you through the process step by step.  

A Royal Mail courier will arrive the day after to collect it and take it to the lab. The aim is that results will then be received via text within 48 hours. 

For full details on getting a test in Scotland, you can visit the Scottish Government advice page here.