Leading low-cost carrier IndiGo has recently issued updated guidelines for its passengers traveling to the gulf and other countries like Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Oman, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
The airline has IndiGo has listed city-wise guidelines for passengers flying to and from above nine cities in seven nations in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
IndiGo has also warned that passengers not complying with the government regulations will not be allowed to board the flight. For passengers denied boarding, the fare component is non-refundable, while non-airline taxes are refundable.
It must be noted for passengers traveling to India, only stranded Indian nationals, all Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders holding UAE passports, and UAE nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visas issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines dated June 30, 2020, are exempt from travel restrictions.
Here are the guidelines shared by IndiGo for international passengers;
UAE
As for flights to Dubai from India, only passengers allowed are members of diplomatic missions, holders of UAE golden or silver visas, UAE nationals, and customers exempted or granted permission to enter the UAE by the appropriate authorities as well as customers traveling on a business flight who have a valid Covid‑19 PCR test certificate.
Passengers must have a valid Covid‑19 test certificate issued within 48 hours of the time of sample collection and scheduled flight departure. Only Covid‑19 PCR test reports from certified labs that issue a QR code linked to the original report will be accepted.
For passengers traveling from India only must take a Covid‑19 Rapid Antigen or Rapid PCR test at the airport prior to departure. They must undergo Covid‑19 PCR testing on arrival in Dubai, followed by two other PCR tests on the fourth day and eighth day of their quarantine period.
Passengers must also sign an indemnity document for a 10‑day home or hotel quarantine, starting from the day of arrival. Lastly, they must download the DXB Covid‑19 app upon arrival at Dubai airports and provide all the required information.
All passengers who have traveled from or transited through India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the last 14 days will not be accepted for travel to or transfer through Dubai from any other point, except for returning UAE nationals.
Qatar
Only passengers allowed to travel to Doha from India are Qatari nationals, their spouses, children and companions, Permanent Residency cardholders, GCC nationals who are currently QID holders/Non-QID holders/Non-Resident, family visitors, business travelers, leisure travelers with pre-approved visas, foreign diplomats on a mission to the State of Qatar, holders of administrative IDs and staff of international organizations.
Passengers should note that an exceptional return permit is no longer required for Qatar Residence Cards holders unless they have spent more than 180 days outside the nation. Also, a visa on arrival is not available and passengers seeking the same will not be allowed to travel.
All flyers have to register themselves on the Ehteraz website (www.ehteraz.gov.qa) at least 12 hours before their flight and upload the required official documents. The travel authorization thus generated will have to be presented at the time of boarding and to immigration officials upon landing.
All customers must download and register on the EHTERAZ app, and undergo an RT-PCR test on arrival at their own cost.
Passengers must carry a negative PCR certificate in printed form, from a government-approved laboratory in India or an ICMR-certified laboratory, issued no more than 72 hours before departure of the last direct flight to Doha. The certificate issued shall be duly signed and stamped by relevant authorities and must only be in English.
Customers traveling are required to be in possession of a confirmed hotel reservation in one of the designated quarantine hotels for a period of a minimum of 10 days or as stated in the exceptional return permit issued by the Qatar Government Authorities. The designated quarantine hotels can be booked through Discover Qatar before arriving in the State of Qatar.
Customers are also required to undergo a repeat PCR test on arrival in the hotel quarantine facility within 1 day of the flight arrival.
Customers under hotel quarantine will be required to do a PCR test on day six of their quarantine, and according to the test result, customers will be required to follow procedures published on the Ministry of Public Health, Government of Qatar website
Exceptional Entry Permit issued for Domestic staff, company-sponsored, and other workers will state that they need to hotel quarantine for 14 days. Staff must ensure that such customers be accepted in accordance with the hotel bookings as per the requirement stated on the “Exceptional Entry Permits”
Customers who have been vaccinated by a WHO-approved vaccine (should be in receipt of both doses of the vaccine and have completed 14 days from receipt of the second dose) shall no longer be exempted from quarantine till further notice.
All customers must fill up two forms and submit them upon arrival to the authorities – The self-health assessment form, and the Home Quarantine undertaking form.
Kuwait
Only employees of the Kuwait Ministry of Health and their first-degree relatives and employees of the private medical sector who have valid residency to return to the State of Kuwait are allowed to travel from India to Kuwait.
All passengers traveling to Kuwait shall mandatorily have to download and register on the Kuwait Mosafer App, failure to which may lead to denied boarding at the origin station.
They shall be subject to two RT-PCR tests upon arrival at their own cost. All arrangements for the same must be done through the Kuwait Mosafer App.
For Ministry of Health staff and private sector medical employees, ‘OK To Board Comment’ should be inserted in the PNR. They should be in possession of their valid residency permit/visa to enter the State of Kuwait (Visa stamp might not be available but Civil ID is Mandatory), their valid Civil ID, and their company ID.
Spouses and children of MOH staff should also carry copies of the latter’s passport copy and Civil ID copy, as well as supporting documents that prove the relationship.
All passengers must carry a negative PCR certificate in printed form, from an ICMR-approved laboratory. They must download and register on the SHLONIK app at the origin.
Maldives
Tourists, Maldivian nationals, special visa holders, business visa holders, foreign diplomats and their accompanying family members, the crew of ships who arrive by air to sign on to a ship, holders of a valid work permit or work visa, and holders of any other resident permit of Maldives are allowed to travel from India to the Maldives.
All passengers must carry negative PCR test results from an ICMR-approved lab, issued no more than 96 hours before departure of the last direct flight to Male. The RT PCR certificate must contain the name as per passport, name, and address of the testing laboratory, type of test, date of sample collection, and result. Children below 1 year of age are exempt from the pre-departure RT-PCR test.
All passengers must quarantine for 14 days, except special and business visa holders, who shall quarantine for 7 days.
Work Visa holders are also required to apply for pre-approval to travel to the Maldives by email to [email protected] and copied to [email protected]. They must also book a government-designated quarantine facility/hotel by clicking here.
Tourists must have a confirmed reservation at a resort, as they will not be permitted to check-in into hotels or guest houses in the residential or inhabitant islands till further notice. They must also be in possession of a valid return ticket.
Passengers are required to submit a health declaration within 24 hours of their departure on imuga.immigration.gov.mv and obtain a QR code. Flyers falling under the category of pre-arrival RT-PCR required shall be required to attach a copy of their negative test result while completing their health declaration on the portal. The QR code obtained to be made readily available for verification by immigration upon entry in the Maldives.
Oman
Omani nationals and non-Omani citizens with Family Resident Permit and Employment Resident Permit are allowed to travel from India to Oman. Sponsors of non-Omani citizens with Employment Residency Permits, those who have stayed more than 180 days outside Oman, or whose visa is expired need to apply for NOC through the Royal Oman police website or through ‘Sanad’ offices in Oman. The NOC shall be obtained on an Employment visa form, indicating that the residence is valid through Royal Oman Police.
Residents on family residence permit and those who have stayed outside the country for more than 180 days shall be allowed to enter Oman as long as the visa is valid. Travelers in possession of new visas except for tourist visas that are valid shall be allowed to enter Oman.
Passengers shall download and complete registration on the Tarassud+ app before arrival in Oman.
All passengers traveling to Oman need to have a printed negative RT PCR certificate in English, issued no more than 96 hours before departure.
All passengers must undergo an RT PCR test upon arrival into Muscat as well and are required to pay the cost of services of OMR 25 through Tarassud+ App.
Those traveling to Muscat for a period of 7 days or less shall be exempted from mandatory quarantine provided they are able to provide evidence of their return travel and the result of their test conducted upon arrival is negative. Passengers traveling to Muscat for a period of more than 7 days are required to undergo a mandatory health quarantine of 7 days. They shall take an RT-PCR test on the eighth day at their own expense and end their quarantine period if the test result is negative. Those who don’t wish to undertake an RT-PCR test on the eighth day shall continue to remain under mandatory quarantine for a period of 14 days.
Passengers who test positive on arrival or after 8 days shall continue to remain under quarantine for a period of 10 days from the date of the test.
Non-Omani citizens traveling to Oman are required to be in possession of valid international health insurance covering the cost of Covid-19 treatment for a period of at least one month. Children aged 15 years and less shall be exempted from the Covid-19 PCR test upon arrival.
Bangladesh
All passengers arriving in Bangladesh are required to fill a self-health declaration form and submit the same to the health authorities upon arrival.
Bangladeshi nationals or Bangladeshi-origin foreign passport holders with a ‘No visa required for Bangladesh’ stamp or sticker in their passport are required to be in possession of a negative RT-PCR certificate issued within 72 hours of their travel. The certificate must be available in printed form to submit to health authorities upon arrival and shall be in English only.
Foreign nationals with a valid visa for Bangladesh are allowed to travel to Bangladesh and shall mandatorily be in possession of a negative RT-PCR certificate issued within 72 hours of their travel. Passengers not in possession of a valid negative RT-PCR certificate shall not be allowed to board the flight. Children under 10 years are exempted from the test.
Seamen shall be allowed to travel provided they are in possession of all necessary documents such as passport, CDC booklet, Guarantee letter, Ok to Board Letter, and sign on to the ship maximum within 72 hours of their arrival.
Passengers in possession of tourist visas shall not be allowed to travel to Bangladesh till further notice.
Those who have been vaccinated by a WHO-approved vaccine (should be in receipt of both doses of the vaccine and have completed 14 days from receipt of the 2nd dose) are not exempted from the pre-departure RT-PCR test. The same must be conducted within 72 hours of departure.
Passengers from any European countries, excluding the UK, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey, and Uruguay, shall not be allowed to enter Bangladesh. Those originating from any other countries shall have to undergo 14 days home quarantine if no Covid-19 symptoms are found upon arrival. However, if any Covid-19 symptoms are found they shall have to undergo mandatory 14 days of institutional quarantine at a government facility or a government-approved hotel at their own cost.
Passengers coming from countries except those mentioned above and exit from the transit airport, Covid-19 negative certificates shall become null and void. A fresh PCR-based Covid-19 negative certificate shall be obtained with the PCR test done within 72 hours of the flight departure from that point.
In addition, on arrival in Bangladesh, all such passengers shall have to complete mandatory four days of institutional quarantine at government facilities or government-approved hotels at the passenger’s own expense. The sample will be collected for the Covid-19 PCR and the passenger will be released to complete the total fourteen days of home quarantine (including the institutional quarantine time) if the Covid-19 PCR test result is negative.
Sri Lanka
Passengers allowed to fly from India to Colombo in Sri Lanka include nationals and residents of Sri Lanka, Indian businessmen on a business visa, Indian healthcare professionals, health researchers, engineers, and technicians for technical work at Sri Lanka health sector facilities, including laboratories and factories, Indian engineering, managerial design or other specialists traveling to Sri Lanka on behalf of Indian business entities located in Sri Lanka, Indian technical specialists and engineers traveling for installation, repair and maintenance of Indian-origin machinery and equipment facilities in Sri Lanka, on the invitation of a registered Sri Lankan business entities, and Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka.
All customers traveling to Sri Lanka are required to be in possession of an RT-PCR negative report. Sri Lankan passport holders must present either a negative PCR test result, undertaken within 96 hours prior to departure to Sri Lanka or a Rapid Antigen Test done within 48 hours prior to departure.
Foreign passport holders must have a negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate obtained within 96 hours prior to departure to Sri Lanka.
Customers who have taken a Covid-19 vaccination must provide the original certificate of vaccination. The certificate will only be accepted if all recommended doses have been taken and 14 days have passed from the date of the final vaccination dose till the date of departure to Sri Lanka.
If the complete dose of the vaccine is not taken, or if the passenger is departing to Sri Lanka with less than 14 days from the final vaccination dosage, they will not be considered vaccinated.
Test certificates issued outside of Sri Lanka by an approved laboratory are accepted. The test certificate must be in English and must be printed.
All flyers aged 12 years and above shall undergo a Covid-19 PCR test within 24 hours of their arrival to Sri Lanka. Children below the age of 12 will undergo a Covid-19 PCR test only if an accompanying parent, sibling, or family member tests positive for Covid-19
Fully-vaccinated resident Sri Lankan passport holders, resident foreign passport holders, and tourists do not need to be quarantined if they have a negative PCRT test result.
Unvaccinated travelers will enter a 7-day hotel quarantine on arrival and undergo a second PCR test on Day 7. If tested negative, they will be released to complete the remainder of the 14-day quarantine period at home. Unvaccinated resident Sri Lankan passport holders staying at a government-sponsored quarantine center are required to enter institutional quarantine for 10 days and undergo a second PCR test on Day 10. If tested negative, they will be released from quarantine to complete the remainder of the 14-day quarantine period at home.
Unvaccinated tourists are allowed to enter ‘Safe & Secure Certified Level 1 Hotels’ in a bio-secure travel bubble and visit tourist sites if they have a negative PCR test result. Those staying in Sri Lanka for more than five days or less than 14 days will have to undergo another PCR Test the day before departure.
Tourists staying in Sri Lanka for more than 14 days will undergo a PCR test on day 11, and if the result is negative, they will be free from quarantine restrictions
All travelers will be transported by government authorities or the relevant hotel management from the airport to the place of quarantine.
If the traveler arrives in Sri Lanka with less than 14 days from the final dose of the vaccine, and the 14-day period from the final dose of the vaccine is achieved while in Quarantine, they can be released after a negative PCR test result.
All passengers must apply for a visa online using the Immigration ETA portal. ETA application requirements may vary in accordance with their origin of travel and nationality. They should submit the completed Health Declaration Form to the staff of the Airport Health Office at Health Counters at the arriving airport
Citizens and dual citizens shall be allowed to enter the country subject to meeting entry requirements.
Transit via Sri Lanka is permitted if the connecting flight is within 10 hours of arrival. There are restrictions on transit passengers into China transiting CMB.
A vaccination for COVID-19 is not required for entry into the country. However, travelers who have received a complete dose of the vaccine at least 14 days before travel to Sri Lanka, may be exempted from testing and quarantine restrictions.
An insurance policy with a minimum coverage of $50,000 is required to visit Sri Lanka. C-19 insurance coverage is mandatory for a minimum of 5 million Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) or the equivalent in USD.
Follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google News for the latest travel news and updates!
Must Read: Complete Guidelines For International Air Travel
