UAE-India travel: Quarantine rules; Covid-19 RT-PCR test guidelines updated

Seven-day mandatory home quarantine has been scrapped

Dhanusha Gokulan

Published: Thu 10 Feb 2022, 7:43 PM

Last updated: Thu 10 Feb 2022, 10:22 PM

A pre-travel RT-PCR test valid for 72-hours before departure will continue to remain mandatory for all passengers travelling from the Emirates to India.

However, the seven-day mandatory home quarantine has been scrapped in the revised travel guidelines for international passengers, issued by the Indian Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday, February 10.

A spokesperson for the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi confirmed to Khaleej Times that fully vaccinated travellers from the UAE cannot avail of the pre-travel testing exemption at this moment.

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The exemption, however, is being offered to passengers from 82 countries across the world with which India enjoys 'mutual recognition of vaccination certificates of nationally recognised or World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised vaccines'.

"The new guidelines issued are self-explanatory," said the spokesperson.

"There are many countries which are not on the list as well. Passengers going from the UAE will no longer have to undergo mandatory home quarantine (from February 14) onwards," the spokesperson explained.

"However, these guidelines are subject to constant revise and change," he stated. He stated that every new guideline that comes in supersedes the previous one.

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Countries such as Canada, Qatar, The United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, Netherlands, Oman, Georgia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, and Cuba are included in the list of 82 countries which are part of India's 'reciprocal programme'.

Travellers from the listed countries only need to upload a certificate on the Air Suvidha portal confirming they have received both vaccine doses. However, passengers from the UAE need to provide a negative RT-PCR test report valid for 72 hours pre-travel.

UAE-India travel: What are the new rules?

All travellers must complete and provide factual information in the self-declaration form on the Air Suvidha platform
Provide travel history of past 14 days
Upload negative RT-PCR test report, conducted 72 hours before departure
Passengers must also give an undertaking on the portal or otherwise to the Ministry of Civil Aviation through concerned airlines before undertaking the journey
On-arrival, a sub-section of 2 per cent of passengers on the flight shall undergo random post-arrival tests
These passengers in each flight shall be identified by the concerned airlines. They will submit the samples and shall be allowed to leave the airport.