India has hit a record high of over 4 lakh fresh infections in the last 24 hours. As the Centre and state governments continue to impose emergency measures, multiple countries have suspended flights, placed travel bans or tightened their entry protocols for passengers from India.
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India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has also declared that the suspension on incoming/outbound international flights will continue till May 31. This will exclude Vande Bharat Mission flights and any other approved operations under air bubble agreements.
Singapore, Canada, UAE, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Oman were some of the earliest countries to regulate flights with India. As the active caseload grows, 18 other nations including the United States have issued new orders curbing travel with our country.
These are the latest international travel restrictions as of May 1:
Asia
Nepal has asked Indians entering by land or air to carry a negative RT-PCR report with samples collected within 72 hours of arrival. “They must also produce a proof of a prior hotel reservation for 10 days to stay in quarantine,” the country added. Nepali citizens arriving by flights will have to submit a negative report, and complete 10 days of home/hotel quarantine. Transit to a third country via Nepal has been barred, but foreign nationals already in Nepal “may be allowed to depart via land or air routes”.
Bangladesh has halted the entry of Indians via land, air and rail from April 26 to May 9, “with certain exceptions”. Flight operations from Dhaka have been suspended since April 14.
Maldives has prohibited tourists travelling from India from staying at tourist facilities on inhabited Maldivian islands, effective April 27.
Thailand has cancelled the certificates of entry issued to non-Thai nationals flying from India in May, effective April 26.
Kuwait has suspended all direct commercial flights from India. Anyone arriving from India either directly or via another country cannot enter Kuwait unless they’ve resided outside India for at least 14 days before arrival. Kuwaiti nationals, their first-degree relatives and domestic workers are exempted from this rule.
Malaysia has imposed indefinite travel restrictions to and from India. All Vande Bharat flights have been suspended with the country until further notice.
According to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, restrictions have also been announced in:
Indonesia: Visas will not be issued to any foreign nationals who have visited India in the last 14 days before their arrival.
Qatar: Effective April 25, anyone travelling from India to Qatar must present a negative RT-PCR test report from an ICMR-accredited lab at the Indian departure airport. The test must have been conducted within 72 hours of the scheduled arrival time in Qatar.
Bahrain: Effective April 27, passengers travelling from India must carry a negative RT-PCR test report from an ICMR-accredited lab, conducted within 48 hours of their scheduled time of departure.
Europe
France has imposed a 10-day quarantine rule for all arrivals from India. Travel will only be allowed on ‘pressing grounds’ and passengers must comply with health checks like testing and submitting a declaration. See diplomatie.gouv.fr to know the procedure for arrivals.
Germany will now allow only German nationals to enter the country, with a ban on all other passengers from India, effective April 25. Those entering Germany must be tested before departure, and will have to complete a 14-day quarantine on arrival.
The Netherlands has announced a temporary ban on passenger flights from India from April 26 till today, May 1. Dutch nationals, residents of the Netherlands and those transiting to other EU/Schengen countries have been exempted from the ban, though the Dutch government will not arrange repatriation flights.
Italy has banned the entry of passengers who have been in India in the last 14 days. Minister of Health Roberto Speranza announced the decision on April 25, adding that Italian residents can still return home by completing a swab test upon departure and arrival, plus a mandatory quarantine on their return.
The United Kingdom added India to its ‘red list’, indicating a temporary travel ban. Starting from 4 am on April 23, Indian nationals could no longer travel to the UK. Only British, Irish and third-country nationals with UK residence rights will be allowed entry, followed by 10 days of mandatory hotel quarantine. Indians who arrived before April 23 had to self-isolate at home for 10 days.
Spain has imposed a travel ban for anyone arriving from India (with or without stopovers) starting from May 1. Such passengers will also have to follow quarantine conditions as decided by the Ministry of Health. Spanish citizens and residents have been exempted from the ban, along with several essential personnel. See details on bit.ly/3nE3ngr
Other countries: Australia, USA and Kenya
Australia has paused direct flights with India until May 15. Anyone seeking to travel to India will only be allowed under ‘exceptional circumstances’. See covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au for exemptions.
The United States has suspended the entry of non-US citizens (as non-immigrants) who were in India in the last 14 days before their arrival. US nationals, lawful residents and 10 other categories of people are exempted from this rule. See bit.ly/3vEmeuR for details. The country had earlier issued a Level 4 ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory for India.
Kenya has suspended all passenger flights to and from India for 14 days, effective midnight today. Anyone arriving from India within this time will undergo a rapid antigen test on arrival and must complete a 14-day quarantine.
To track further international flight restrictions from India, you can follow our COVID-19 Travel Guide.
