A clear and concise guide to Abu Dhabi’s current entry rules and regulations…

*THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS NO LONGER CURRENT – PLEASE SEE UPDATED GUIDE*

With all the changes to rules and regulations for travelling into the capital, updates that have been necessary to balance safety with normality in the capital, it’s important to keep yourself up to date on the latest requirements and restrictions. This guide has been designed to navigate simply, what is required for people entering and exiting the capital whether by road or air, as well as providing information on when to use the Alhosn Green Pass.

What are the current rules for entering Abu Dhabi ?

Entering Abu Dhabi by road

As of September 19 there are no testing or vaccination requirements to enter the emirate of Abu Dhabi by road (as long as you have not arrived from a non Green List country in the last 10 days, if you have and you are unvaccinated you must follow the quarantine rules below).

All nationals, residents and tourists over 16 will have to show an active Alhosn Green Pass if they wish to enter almost any public space in Abu Dhabi (including restaurants, malls, gyms and cinemas), some supermarkets and pharmacies excluded. Part of the Green Pass criteria is that you must be fully vaccinated (for fully vaccinated definition please see below), and have had a recent PCR test.

If you’re fully vaccinated you’ll need to have received a negative PCR test within the last 28 days. People with active exemptions (for medical reasons) are required to have had a negative test within the last seven.

For information on how tourists can set up their own Alhosn pass, with vaccination certificates from their home countries, please see below.

Entering Abu Dhabi by Air

Who needs to quarantine

Updates to Abu Dhabi’s entry policy have meant that since early September fully vaccinated individuals, have not been required to quarantine, regardless of nationality and or where they have come from.

To qualify as ‘fully vaccinated’ the jabs must have been one of the vaccines must be approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The WHO has currently approved six Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use: Oxford–AstraZeneca (including Covishield), Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinopharm-BBIBP, Moderna, Sinovac, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson). You’ll need to have had both doses more than 28 days ago, and if you’ve had Sinopharm in Abu Dhabi more than six months ago, you’ll need to have had a third jab — reflecting in the Alhosn app.

Unvaccinated passengers from Green List countries are also not obliged to quarantine if they return a negative PCR result from their arrival PCR test. Unvaccinated passengers from non Green List countries will have to quarantine for a period of 10 days (the day you arrive is considered day 1).

What is the Green List?

The Abu Dhabi ‘Green List’ of countries is a collection of international territories that have been deemed as a low-risk of bringing Covid-19 into the emirate. The list is compiled through a thorough analysis of pandemic management criteria, in areas such as infection and vaccination rates, government policy, entry requirements and testing protocol.

The Green List is updated periodically in line with international health developments. And making it onto the list requires destinations to satisfy a strict set of health and safety criteria.

This means that passengers arriving from these destinations, regardless of vaccination status, will not have to undergo the quarantine period but will have to take a PCR test when they arrive at the Abu Dhabi airport.

 The full Green List as of 12.01am October 8, 2021

• Albania
• Armenia
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahrain
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Bhutan
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Brunei
• Bulgaria
• Burma
• Burundi
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Comoros
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Ecuador
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong (SAR)
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Indonesia
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Maldives
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Oman
• Poland
• Portugal
• Qatar
• Republic of Ireland
• Russia
• San Marino
• Saudi Arabia
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan, Province of China
• Tajikistan
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Turkmenistan
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• Uzbekistan

Travel corridors

If you have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (final dose received at least 28 days before travel), you will also not be required to quarantine when you travel between Abu Dhabi and the following countries: Bahrain, Greece, Serbia and Seychelles.

PCR requirements for arrival from Green List countries

No passengers arriving from Green List countries will have to quarantine — regardless of vaccination status (although if you’re unvaccinated, you will be restricted from visiting most public spaces — as it’s a required element of the Alhosn Green Pass, which is essential for entering almost all places in the capital). Children under 12 are exempt from PCR requirements.

Everyone will need to take at least one PCR test however, and the day you arrive is considered day 1.

Vaccinated passengers arriving from Green List countries will need a PCR on arrival, and on day six.

Unvaccinated passengers arriving from Green List countries will need a PCR on arrival, and on day six and nine.

PCR and quarantine for arrival from non Green List countries

Vaccinated passengers arriving from non-Green List countries will need a PCR on arrival, and on days four and eight.

Unvaccinated passengers arriving from non-Green List countries must quarantine for 10 days, and will need a PCR on arrival, and on day nine.

How tourists prove they’ve been vaccinated

Vaccine certificates will be essential for those wishing to enter the UAE on these updated rules. Tourists must get their documents registered on the ICA website five days prior to the departure date. We recommend doing this on the desktop site, as there is more reported functionality.

Step one, download the ICA app and fill in the form under the Register Arrival section. Here you’ll be able to upload your vaccination certificates and once completed, you’ll be sent an SMS with a link to download the Alhosn app. You’ll need to use the same phone number on the ICA app, as you use for the Alhosn app — we recommend that you use a UAE sim (you can change the registered phone number registered to the ICA via the ICA app).

Next you’ll need a UID number, this can be provided at the airport when you arrive or via the ICA website. This is essential for setting up your profile on the Alhosn app. You’ll need to link a phone number to the Alhosn account (the same one you’ve used for the ICA).

Images: Getty