New travel rules come into effect from Tuesday January 11…

India will require all international arrivals to undergo a seven-day home quarantine, according to revised travel guidelines announced by the government last week. Effective from Tuesday January 11 and in place until further notice, the news will affect all those travelling to India from the UAE.

As well as undergoing home quarantine, arrivals from “non at-risk countries” – which includes the UAE – must also undergo a Covid-19 RT-PCR test on day 8 after their arrival.

Full list of requirements for travel from the UAE to all destinations in India (except Mumbai)

Those planning to travel to India from the UAE must present a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure, uploading their test results to the Air Suvidha online portal. Passengers must carry a hard copy of their result to be presented at check-in. Only children under the age of 5 are exempt from the Covid testing.

Arriving passengers can expect random Covid-19 testing, and those selected are required to pay for the Covid test. After undergoing the test, passengers aren’t required to wait at the airport for their results.

Regardless of whether you’re picked for the random testing, passengers must then head to their home address and quarantine for seven days, taking a test on day 8 and uploading the results on the Air Suvidha online portal. Those that test negative must still self-monitor their health for a further 7 days, while those that  return a positive result should abide by the respective state government’s protocols.

Travelling from the UAE to Mumbai

If you’re a resident of Mumbai returning to the city from the UAE, there are separate rules in place: On top of the pre-departure requirements, you must undergo a mandatory PCR test on arrival and then home quarantine for seven days. On day 7, residents must take another PCR test and provided the result is negative can then exit quarantine, but should continue to self-monitor their health for a further week. Those that test positive after their first or second test must undergo institutional quarantine as mandated by local authorities.

Those travelling to another city via Mumbai are allowed to take their respective connecting flights.