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Updated February 2023
India has relaxed all its COVID-19 travel restrictions and requirements, and flights have resumed business as per usual. Those looking to return to India from foreign countries will find a wide range of airlines, flight routes, and arrival airports to choose from.
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What are the current COVID-19 testing and vaccinations guidelines in India? Keep reading to find out.
Registering on Air Suvidha
Registration on the Air Suvidha portal, which was once a mandatory requirement for all arrivals in India, has now been discontinued. Most passengers will no longer need to fill out the self-health declaration form.
However, travellers coming from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan are still required to fill out the self-health declaration form and upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report along with the date. The test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey.
Testing and quarantine requirements
Presenting a negative RT-PCR report pre-departure is no longer a requirement for most travellers.
Upon arrival, thermal screening will be done in respect of all the passengers by the health officials present at the point of entry. 2% of the total passengers in all incoming international flights undergo random post-arrival testing at the airport on arrival, irrespective of the port of departure. The passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to a designated medical facility as per health protocol, as mentioned above.
Passengers from high-risk countries
Pre-departure COVID-testing requirements apply only to travellers from six high-risk countries, including China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan. They are required to take a test within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey and upload the negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report on the Air Suvidha portal.
They should also give an undertaking on the portal or otherwise to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, through concerned airlines before they are allowed to undertake the journey that they would abide by the decision of the appropriate government authority for any post-arrival requirement including home/institutional quarantine/self-health monitoring, as warranted.
Vaccination requirements
Passengers can enter India without being fully vaccinated. According to the new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), presenting a vaccination certificate is no longer mandatory.
Nevertheless, travellers are still advised to be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination against COVID-19 in their country.
