The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 3 announced exceptions of new categories of travellers from India and five other countries. Travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and hold valid UAE residency permits will be allowed entry into the UAE.
At least 14 days should have passed after receiving the second vaccine dose. They must also hold a certificate to this effect. The decision includes people who are in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda. The UAE government said unvaccinated people in certain job categories can seek permission to return.
Flights from cities like Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, and New Delhi to Abu Dhabi will resume today while flights from India to Sharjah and Dubai had already started earlier this week on Thursday (August 5).UAE Airlines Air Arabia and Emirates operated one service each to the UAE from Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on Thursday.
Etihad Airways will begin flights from three additional cities (Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Mumbai) for travel to UAE from August 10. Note that not all Indian flyers can travel to UAE only transit passengers and UAE residents are allowed to travel.
Medical workers, teachers at schools and universities in the Emirates, students, residents with extenuating circumstances, people undergoing medical treatment in the UAE and people who work for federal or local government agencies are allowed to enter UAE.
These people must apply for permission to return on the website of the federation immigration department, Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, the guidelines said.
India-UAE flights: How to travel to UAE
Dubai residents must apply for GDRFA (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs) approval. Abu Dhabi and Sharjah residents must apply for an ICA (Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship) approval.
UAE residents must present a certificate to prove that they have received both doses of the UAE-approved Covid-19 vaccine. The second dose must be at least 14 days before travel.
List of UAE approved Covid vaccines:
- Sputnik V
- Oxford/AstraZeneca
- Pfizer/BioNTech
- Moderna
- Janssen (Johnson and Johnson)
- Sinopharm
- Novavax
Once you have received approvals from GDREA/ICA, you can book the ticket. Passengers must take a PCR test 72 hours prior to departure. The results with a QR code must be uploaded to the ‘register arrival’ portal. The portal can be accessed by visiting smartservices.ica.gov.ae. One can also opt for a rapid PCR test if the departure airport facilitates it
On arrival in UAE, all travellers will have to go under mandatory quarantine for 10 days. Besides, the travellers will have to wear a medically approved tracking wristband, provided by the airport authorities, during the quarantine period. The travellers under isolation will also have to take a PCR test on days four and eight.
It is worth adding that back on April 24, India to Dubai international flights were suspended due to the second wave of Coronavirus spreading across the country. Dubai is one of the popular destinations for both leisure and business travellers. There was a huge demand to reopen flights on this route since the number of COVID-19 cases have declined exponentially in India.
