India to Revise Travel Guidelines for Foreign Visitors
Amid the ongoing spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the Indian government decided to revise the travel guidelines for all overseas visitors.
As of 11th January 2022, all passengers must undergo a 7-day home quarantine on arrival in India. To end the isolation, they will need to obtain a negative result of a follow-up PCR test.
The updated rules apply to all international arrivals, no matter vaccinated or not.
Content:
Quarantine and testing
All international visitors, including children, who wish to fly to India are now required to undergo a home quarantine for one week (7 days).
On the 8th day, a traveler will need to perform a PCR test. In case of negative results, the quarantine can be ended. Nevertheless, the person still needs to monitor the symptoms for another one week.
Children under the age of 5 are exempt from pre and post-arrival testing requirements as long as they are free of COVID-19 symptoms.
Before flying to India, every passenger needs to have a PCR test performed within 72 hours prior to the planned departure.
Documents to obtain before arrival
Before boarding the flight to India, travelers must obtain the following:
- a self-declaration form including the information on countries visited within the last 2 weeks before a trip to India (to upload via the Air Suvidha portal newdelhiairport.in)
- e-Visa to India (if applicable)
- a negative result of the COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours before the trip
- a declaration confirming that the negative result of the COVID-19 test is authentic (travelers need to agree on criminal charges if the test turns out fake)
- download the Aarogya Setu app (used for tracking the coronavirus cases)
India's 'at-risk' countries
The most recent 'at-risk' countries include the following:
- South Africa
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Ghana
- Zambia
- China
- Mauritius
- Zimbabwe
- Tanzania
- Israel
- New Zealand
- Hong Kong
- Ethiopia
- Congo
- Kenya
- Kazakhstan
- Nigeria
- Tunisia
- All European countries, including the United Kingdom
Travelers coming from any of the above-listed countries need to undergo additional post-arrival PCR testing. It is advised to book and pay for the test in advance to speed the process upon arrival.
COVID-19 situation in India
The Indian authorities did not set the final date until which the updated rules will remain effective. It means that the restrictions are to remain in place until noting the significant decrease in recorded coronavirus cases.
On Monday, 10th Jan. 2022, India has recorded over 35 million total COVID-19 cases and 484,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Travelers to India should note that depending on the particular state in the country, the coronavirus-related restrictions may slightly differ. It is highly recommended to check the recent rules before going to a certain Indian region.
