Many flight services between the two countries will start from Saturday i.e. today after the United Arab Emirates lifts the travel ban for transit passengers from India. Flights to Abu Dhabi from cities like Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru, Trivandrum and New Delhi are going to resume from today. In addition, Etihad Airways will start flights to UAE from three more cities namely Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Mumbai from August 10.
At the same time, flights from India to Sharjah and Dubai started . One flight each of UAE Airlines Air Arabia and Emirates took off from Cochin International Airport in Kerala on August 5. It should be noted that not all Indian travelers can travel to UAE. Only transit passengers and residents of UAE are allowed to travel.
Residents of Dubai will have to apply for GDRFA (General Director of Residency and Foreign Affairs) approval. Residents of Abu Dhabi and Sharjah must apply for ICA (Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship) approval.
Residents of the United Arab Emirates must present a certificate to prove that they have taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine approved by the UAE. Along with this, the second dose of the vaccine should be taken at least 14 days before the trip. The UAE has approved the Sputnik V, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm and Novavax vaccines.
Once you get approval from GDREA/ICA you can book tickets.
Passengers will have to undergo PCR test 72 hours before departure. The results along with the QR code should be uploaded on the ‘Register Arrival’ portal. The portal can be accessed by visiting smartservices.ica.gov.ae.
A passenger can opt for Rapid PCR test if the departure airport facilitates.
All passengers will have to compulsorily quarantine for 10 days upon arrival in UAE. Apart from this, passengers will have to wear a medically approved tracking wristband given by the airport authorities during the quarantine period. Passengers with isolation will also have to undergo PCR test on the fourth and eighth days.