In a move that is sure to make leisure travellers very happy, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will be resuming the issuance of tourist visas for travellers from ALL countries, provided that they have been fully vaccinated with any of the WHO-approved vaccines, which includes Covishield.
And when we speak about the UAE…what’s the number one traveller-favourite city we all think of? Dubai, baby!
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With the UAE easing up rules for tourists, Dubai has also issued new guidelines for travellers from India, and here’s everything you need to put on your checklist to take that much-needed trip to Dubai:
Who’s allowed to travel to Dubai?
Indian passengers holding all types of visas and/or entry permissions granted by the UAE authorities (such as employment visa, short stay/long stay visa, visit visa, newly-issued residence visa, etc.) are now permitted to travel to Dubai. Travellers must be fully vaccinated with any one of the WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines.
Other requirements
1. Valid Resident Visa holders for Dubai must secure an approval granted by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, or an approval granted by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs. They must also upload their vaccination certificates on these links.
2. Travellers arriving in Dubai must present a valid COVID-19 negative test certificate that is issued within 48 hours from the time of sample collection and departure. This certificate must be from an approved health service that uses a QR-code system.
3. All passengers must also undertake a rapid PCR test with a negative result from the departing airport. The test must be taken six hours before departure and the report must be QR-coded. Naturally, travellers are advised to reach the airport early for this.
See Also: Which Indian Airports are Offering Rapid PCR Testing Facility?
Keep in mind that travellers are likely to undergo an additional PCR test on arrival in Dubai. But once that’s done…it’s just you and a WHOLE lot of magic in Dubai! 😀
Here’s the official order regarding the reissuance of tourist visas by the UAE:
#NCEMA & ICA: Starting from 30th August, application for tourist visas will be open to people from all countries, provided that they are fully vaccinated with one of the WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines.#TogetherWeRecover pic.twitter.com/dTsB5pNXvd
— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) August 29, 2021
The UAE also permits certain categories of non-vaccinated travellers to enter, and also has separate guidelines for students and those looking to travel for medical reasons. You can check all these guidelines, along with the regulations for other destinations in the UAE with the help of our COVID-19 Guidelines Tracker.
Since guidelines for the UAE change pretty frequently, we’d also advise you to reconfirm them with your airlines prior to travelling.
New flight to Dubai
And if sone par suhaga was a news update, this will be it: starting today, September 1, Air India will be operating flights between Indore and Dubai every Wednesday. The news was announced by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia on Twitter:
इंदौर वासियों के लिए बड़ी खुशखबरी ! इंदौर और दुबई के बीच 1 सितम्बर से @airindiain की नई विमान सेवाएं शुरू होने जा रही हैं जो अभी सप्ताह में एक दिन (बुधवार) चलेंगी। 1/2 @ChouhanShivraj @iShankarLalwani @KailashOnline @S_MahajanLS @tulsi_silawat
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) August 23, 2021
Flight AI955 will depart from Indore at 12:35 pm and arrive in Dubai at 03:05 pm, while in the return direction, flight AI956 will depart from Dubai at 04:05 pm and arrive in Indore at 08:55 pm.
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The opening of Dubai, and the eased restrictions by the UAE in general, is sure to relieve Indian travellers. Stay tuned with us for more travel updates!
