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

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.

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 Mandy 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.

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.