Starting from February 14, the government of India has issued new travel guidelines for people travelling into the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.
India covid travel restrictions involve getting an RT-PCR test before travelling. For covid travel, you must be vaccinated to avoid quarantine into the country. In the revised India covid travel restrictions, the stipulation for mandatory quarantine after entering India has been removed.
People are now requested to self-monitor their health for a period of 14 days, and if they feel any symptoms related to Covid, they must immediately quarantine themselves and inform their nearest health centre or call the National Helpline. This condition is mostly for people travelling to India from non-high-risk countries.
Having an RT-PCR negative test report not older than 72 hours is a must for Covid international travel India. For people from high-risk countries, a seven-day quarantine could be requested. If you are fully vaccinated, your covid travel to India will become easier. If you show the vaccination card, all quarantine-related restrictions and PCR test requirements at the end of 7 days are removed.
Keep reading to know what guidelines you will have to follow to move out of India from New Delhi and what countries have eased restrictions on Indians.
How To Move Out Of New Delhi
India has been going through serious coronavirus issues in the last year with a deadly viral wave. Things have eased down since the vaccines were made available to the masses. But there are still covid travel restrictions in other countries that you have to abide by when travelling from New Delhi and out of India.
India is among the high-risk countries, so depending on where you are travelling to, you will face mild to severe India covid travel restrictions. Read on for a detailed guideline on New Delhi travel restrictions.
New Delhi Travel Restrictions
India covid travel restrictions may ease for international covid travel. International flights are expected to resume from March/April. It is still to be decided whether to allow covid travel during the summer season.
International flights will resume soon after the domestic capacity reaches at least 80 percent of the number of flights before coronavirus. There were 2800 domestic flights before the pandemic. The data on February 13 suggested 2058 flights operating. For it to be about 80 percent, the number of flights must exceed 2200.
According to officials, “Since domestic flights are returning fast, it may happen soon.”
India covid travel restrictions were extended on international flights by the aviation authorities owing to the increasing number of Omicron virus cases. All international flights were stopped till February 28.
Currently, there is a special bilateral arrangement for international flights from India/New Delhi to 28 countries under the air bubble agreement. The 28 countries include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Ukraine, UAE, UK, USA, and Uzbekistan.
As for what you need when travelling out of India, it depends on the country you are travelling to. You will have to get a negative PCR test if they don’t have proof of vaccination. Those with full vaccination might be allowed onboard without a PCR test.
However, the requirements for testing and vaccination will differ for covid travel to various countries. Countries like the US, UK, Canada, and some others have lifted mandatory quarantine after covid travel, but a PCR test and vaccination are compulsory.
So, before you travel out of New Delhi, make sure to check for India covid travel restrictions for the specific country you are travelling to.
For travelling into New Delhi or some part of India from another country, here is what the officials had to say. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said while announcing the move on Twitter, “A sub-section (2 percent of the total passengers on the flight) shall undergo random post-arrival testing at the airport on arrival. They will submit their samples and be allowed to leave the airport.”
Covid International Travel India
India covid travel restrictions vary depending on your destination. Some countries have entered into an agreement with India for cross-border restrictions where certain vaccinations will be accepted. But you will need to visit the official country website to know the precise details of travelling to that specific country. You can take a look at the requirements for India covid travel restrictions to different countries here.
Here is what you can expect from some popular immigration and travel destinations in terms of India covid travel restrictions.
The United Kingdom is a popular choice if you want to move out of New Delhi. It is open for tourists, and there is no mandatory quarantine if you have had your shot of vaccination. You must have evidence of vaccination and covid testing. You might also need to show which countries you have been to in the past few months.
The US has similar India covid travel restrictions. Tourists are welcome, but proof of vaccination is necessary while quarantine isn’t. Covid testing will have to be done too. As for New Zealand, it is not open for all travellers, but if you are going there, you must have proof of vaccination, get tested, and will have to quarantine upon arrival too.
Canada has relaxed Covid testing rules for Indians arriving in the country on a direct flight within an 18-hour span. You must be fully vaccinated and have a negative PCR test report from an ICMR-approved lab. Also, upload these documents on the ArriveCAN app or website.
A senior official from the Air India airline said, “Australian airline Qantas has recently started flights between Sydney and New Delhi. The airline is also set to start flights between New Delhi and Melbourne before Christmas. Air India flights between India and Australia will resume in coming days.” Australia is one of the countries in an air bubble with India and has relaxed border restrictions for Indians.
The borders of Australia have been opened for Indian travellers, but there are certain guidelines that need to be followed necessarily. An announcement by Prime Minister Scott Morrison read, “The condition is you must be double vaccinated to come to Australia. That’s the rule. Everyone is expected to abide by it”. Several flights will be operated between India and Ukraine too.
The border of Bali in Indonesia was opened to receive tourists and travellers. Indians could travel to Bali as of February 5. Vaccinated Travel Lane (VLT) has restarted between India and Singapore, which allows Indians to travel to Singapore without having to quarantine afterwards. You can travel on these VLT flights from Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai.
As of December 2021, 108 countries recognized Covid-19 vaccination certificates from India for travel purposes.
Things to have on hand before moving out of New Delhi
If you are ready to move to some other place amid the covid restrictions, you need certain documents and other things on hand before you get a place on an international flight. So, how to move out of New Delhi amid the coronavirus?
The most obvious thing you need is a passport. You won’t be able to travel anywhere out of India without proof of identity, which is represented by a passport.
Vaccination is mandatory for travelling out of New Delhi to almost all big countries and even within India as well. If you are fully vaccinated, you can travel to the UK, Thailand, Singapore, Cyprus, Vietnam, Israel, and Saint Lucia in the Caribbean.
While you might not need to undergo quarantine and isolation rules when leaving India, several countries will demand a recent RT-PCR test with a negative result. So, even if your destination has no such requirement, get tested and have the results with you all time for 3 days at least. You will be checked on Indian airports for negative results while leaving.
Vaccination cards will have to be uploaded confirming full vaccination.
Countries open to travel from India
India covid travel restrictions have been eased in some places around the world. Here are a few countries you can go to from India as foreign borders are opening up.
- Russia
- Turkey
- Iceland
- Serbia
- Egypt
- Uzbekistan
- Ethiopia
- South Africa
- Costa Rica
- Mauritius
- Australia
- Bali, Indonesia
- Singapore
- Canada
- Ukraine
Covid travel without vaccination will be a hassle, so if you can, it is better to get vaccinated and keep the documents with you. Get tests as and when required. The tests shouldn’t be older than 72 hours. If you must move and are not vaccinated, check out the countries that have relaxed vaccination requirements and are open for travel, too, such as Portugal. Whether you are moving permanently or temporarily, you must be aware of the destination country’s regulations too.
You might have to face more restrictions when coming to India, especially if you reside in one of the high-risk countries on India’s list. There will be requirements for quarantine, tests, and vaccination. Before you move out of or travel anywhere, check the official websites of both the place of arrival and departure to know the guidelines.
Follow the rules and travel safely.
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