UAE flights: Travel rules eased for vaccinated expats in quarantine countries

Dubai - The new regulations apply to passengers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria, and Uganda.

Residents who are currently on a 14-day quarantine in a third country can now return to the UAE even before they complete the two-week period, agents have told Khaleej Times.

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The new regulations apply to passengers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria, and Uganda.

“They can return as long as they adhere to the same list of rules set by the UAE authorities for passengers originating from these countries, which means they must be fully vaccinated in the UAE and must have valid residency visas,” explained Raheesh Babu, the group chief operating officer of online travel agency Musafir.com.

Pre-travel approvals from relevant immigration authorities, depending on the emirate they are flying to, are also mandatory.

“Some of our passengers, who booked tickets via the Sharjah-based budget carrier Air Arabia, are returning to the UAE before the completion of their 14-day quarantine,” he added.

While rapid testing facilities are available at Tashkent International Airport, Uzbekistan, the remaining passengers are getting tested in authorised laboratories hours before their flight to the UAE, an Air Arabia call centre agent explained.

Since May this year, countries like Armenia, Uzbekistan, Serbia, and the Maldives have become popular quarantine destinations for residents stranded in the UAE’s ‘red list’ countries.

“For months, residents in large numbers have been travelling to these destinations and returning to the UAE,” explained TP Sudheesh, general manager of Deira Travels.

Last week, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) announced that fully vaccinated residence visa holders from the red-list countries can return to the Emirates from August 5, as long as they had taken both their vaccine doses in the UAE. Some categories of travellers — including healthcare workers, teachers, students, Expo 2020 workers, and humanitarian cases — are being given permission to travel without getting a vaccine.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com