Dubai Quarantine: Know These Guidelines Before Making Your Way to The City

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Updated 21 January 2022

Through its combination of strict measures, swift vaccination drive, and a high testing rate, many rightfully regard the UAE, Dubai specifically, as one of the countries with the most exceptional performance in dealing with the pandemic. 

As for Dubai’s quarantine measures for arrivals, anyone testing positive or showing symptoms must serve isolation or institutional quarantine depending on the circumstances and, when available, their preferences. Here is a complete guide of the latest Dubai quarantine hotels being implemented for international visitors and returning residents alike.

Dubai testing requirements

Passengers travelling to Dubai from all countries (GCC included) must have a negative COVID‑19 RT‑PCR test certificate for a test taken no more than 72 hours before departure.

Passengers from Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda and Uganda, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Sudan Burundi, Chad, Mauritania, Namibia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Lebanon and Turkey will be required to present a valid negative COVID‑19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted within 48 hours, and go through some other additional requirements. More on this below

Furthermore, Passengers who have been in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe in the past 14 days are not permitted to enter or transit through Dubai due to the omicron variant. However, the following categories are exempt from the suspension and can enter Dubai:

• Employees of Official Missions between the UAE and the aforesaid countries
• UAE nationals, first degree relative(s) and their domestic/house workers/helpers
• Members of the diplomatic missions between the UAE and the aforesaid countries
• Holders of a UAE Golden Visa

The eligible passengers from these countries must present a negative COVID‑19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at an approved facility no more than 48 hours before departure. The validity must be calculated from the time the sample was collected. Additionally, they must also present a negative COVID‑19 Rapid or Real-Time PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at the departure airport within six hours before departure.

Please note that UAE Nationals, first-degree relatives and their domestic/house workers/helpers from the above-mentioned countries will be required to undergo a COVID‑19 PCR test on arrival in Dubai, and children under the age of 12 and passengers who have a moderate or severe disability are exempt from the PCR test requirement.

 

Test on arrival

Please note that all passengers arriving from the following countries must take another COVID‑19 PCR test on arrival.

Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Russia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somaliland, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

 

Travel from Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda and Uganda

All passengers from Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda and Uganda will have to go through the following requirements:

• must present a valid negative COVID‑19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at an approved facility within 48 hours of departure. Validity must be calculated from the time the sample was collected.
• must present a valid negative COVID‑19 Rapid or Real-Time PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at the departure airport within 06 hours of departure.
• must undergo COVID‑19 PCR test on arrival and must remain in self-quarantine until they receive the test result.

PCR Test Exemptions

The following categories of passengers are exempted from PCR Test requirements when traveling from Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda and Uganda:

• UAE nationals are exempt from taking a COVID‑19 PCR test before departing for Dubai. They must be tested on arrival in Dubai, irrespective of whether they are holding a valid negative COVID‑19 RT PCR certificate from the point of origin. This is also applicable for passengers accompanying the first-degree UAE nationals’ relative or domestic workers escorting a UAE national sponsor during travel.
• Children under the age of 12 and passengers who have a moderate or severe disability are exempt from taking a COVID‑19 RT PCR test.

 

Travel from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Sudan

 

Travel from the United Kingdom

All passengers travelling from the UK to Dubai must hold a negative COVID‑19 PCR test certificate with QR code for a test taken no more than 48 hours before departure, and the certificate must be for a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT‑PCR) test.

The RT‑PCR test result certificate must state the location of where the sample was taken. Note that any other test certificates, including NHS COVID‑19 test certificates and home testing kits, will NOT be accepted for travel from the United Kingdom.

 

Travel from Burundi, Chad, Mauritania, Namibia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Zambia

All passengers from Burundi, Chad, Mauritania, Namibia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Zambia entering Dubai must present a negative COVID‑19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at an approved facility within 48 hours of departure. Validity must be calculated from the time the sample was collected.

The certificate must be a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT PCR) test issued by trusted and certified laboratories with a QR code linked to the original report for verification purposes.

Following passengers are exempted from PCR Tests:

• UAE Nationals, first-degree relatives and their domestic/house workers/helpers who will be required to undergo a COVID‑19 PCR test on arrival in Dubai.
• Children under the age of 12 and passengers who have a moderate or severe disability.

 

Travel from Lebanon, Turkey

 

Dubai quarantine rules

Those required to take the on-arrival test must then remain in isolation until the results of the test have been known. Should the test be positive, travellers are required to serve a 10-day quarantine and comply with the instructions of the Dubai Health Authority. Travellers with negative test results will not be required to serve quarantine.

Residents required to serve isolation may choose between a home or institutional quarantine based on availability. Residents will bear the cost of alternative institutional isolation.

For tourists, alternatives for isolation include institutional quarantine (dedicated hotels/facilities), home or hospitalization and potential options based on the patient’s assessment. The isolation ends after completing the 10 days with improvement in symptoms and no fever for 3 consecutive days at least, without any fever reduction medication.

A recent development outlined in an official guideline issued by the Dubai Health Authority required residents and visitors who have come into close contact with COVID-19 patients in Dubai to undergo a 10-day home quarantine — even if said residents and visitors did not develop any symptoms.

 

Dubai’s designated quarantine hotels

The following are designated Dubai quarantine hotels where guests may book their stay in advance. Keep in mind that guests may not be able to wander much or access many of these facilities since the luxury quarantine is a part of the Dubai authorities’ preventive efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic.

Crowne Plaza Dubai – Deira 

This five-star hotel is located in Dubai’s city center and is in close proximity to the airport. The hotel features clean and spacious rooms. The suites go even further by providing spacious living areas and even dining areas.

Room amenities include flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi and a comfortable workstation, allowing guests to maintain their productivity even under quarantine.

Some of the safety protocols employed by the hotel include reduced contact during check-in, zero-touch transactions, sanitized key-cards and highly visible sanitizer dispensers. Public spaces will undergo deep cleaning on their most high-touch surfaces. Social distancing protocols will also be in effect as mandated by the IHG Way of Clean.

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Landmark Premier Hotel

This stylish boutique hotel makes for an affordable alternative in spending two-week seclusion. Their rooms are by no means luxurious, but they are spacious enough and do offer sufficient amenities such as WiFi, flat-screen TVs and big and comfortable beds. For a fee, minibar and cable channels are available to help chase the quarantine blues away.  

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, additional safety and sanitation measures are currently in effect at this property.

The hotel has suspended some of its services, including shuttle services and spa and gym facilities.

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Al Khoory Atrium Hotel, Al Barsha

This vibrant hotel focuses on making guests feel at home upon arriving in their colorful and comfortable rooms. Meant for discerning travellers, eye-catching drapes and customized carpets are utilized in a bid to evoke a sense of warmth and coziness associated with a familiar place. The rooms are also fitted with a smart lighting system, which adds to the overall feel. As always, LCD TVs and Wifi are available.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, additional safety and sanitation measures are currently in effect at this property. The hotel has suspended some of its services, namely the gym facilities.

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Media Rotana Dubai – Barsha Heights

A luxury five-star hotel located in the bustling precinct of Barsha Heights, Media Rotana is convenient to many leisure attractions, shopping malls and key business districts, including Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City.

In addition to the Dubai Internet City Metro Station being at close walking distance, the Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airports are also a 20-minute drive from Media Rotana.

Media Rotana has also created the ‘Rotana Safe Space program’ covering enhanced cleaning protocols and a new safer approach to dining, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Hotel quarantine guidelines

For those opting or required to serve institutional quarantine at a hotel for 10 days, they are subject to strict measures outlined in the guidelines as follows:

• Guests are constrained to their rooms for the entirety of their quarantine
• Guests are required to wear face masks and gloves when venturing into public areas
• Guests are responsible for cleaning their own rooms as housekeeping services are suspended
• Guests will have their three meals delivered to their rooms. Ordering food online is permitted, and will also be delivered by the staff directly.
• Guests who show symptoms of infection during the quarantine will be transferred to a hospital, or to one of the hotels designated as isolation centers
• Guests who tested negative for the coronavirus will be discharged after their 14-day quarantine period has elapsed