India-UAE flights resume from today; check out COVID vaccination, quarantine rules, other details

Airlines will add more flights between India and the UAE from Saturday, August 7, as the gulf country has lifted the ban on transit passenger traffic from the sub-continent. Flights from cities such as New Delhi, Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru and Trivandrum to Abu Dhabi will resume from Saturday.

However, all Indian flyers are still not permitted to travel to the UAE, only transit passengers and UAE residents in India are allowed to travel to the gulf country as of now.

Requirements for travelling to UAE for residents

Approvals

For travelling to UAE, Dubai residents in India must apply for GDRFA (General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs) approval. While Abu Dhabi and Sharjah residents are required to apply for ICA (Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship) approval, said UAE's National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority (NCEMA).

Travellers can book the flight ticket once they have received the required approval.

Vaccination certificates

UAE residents will also have to present vaccine certificates for both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The country will only accept vaccination certificates for the vaccines that have been approved by its administration. Sputnik V, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Janssen (Johnson and Johnson), Sinopharm, Novavax are the only COVID-19 vaccines that have been approved by the UAE health authorities. For travelling to UAE, the passenger must have taken the second dose at least 14 days before departure.

COVID-19 tests

Passengers would also be required to take an RT-PCR test from approved labs 72 hours before departure to UAE. They will have to upload the results of the RT-PCR test along with a QR code to smartservices.ica.gov.ae before travelling. Travellers will also have to take a rapid COVID-19 test no more than four hours before boarding the plane.  

Procedure after landing

Once the UAE residents have arrived in the gulf country, they will have to undergo a mandatory quarantine for 10 days. During quarantine, travellers will be required to wear medically approved health-tracking wristbands which will be provided by airport authorities. Travellers will also need to get two RT-PCR tests, one on the fourth day of isolation and the second one on the eighth day.

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