As hundreds of thousands of passengers return to India for the winter holidays, we thought it might be a good time to look at the new rules for arrivals. Since 1st December, travelers have been separated by whether they come from high-risk or low-risk countries, determining the rules. Here’s a guide to India’s entry rules for your next trip.
At-risk
India has classified 12 countries and regions as high-risk. These include:
Europe (including the UK), Brazil, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Israel, South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Mauritius.
Travelers who have been in these countries in the last 14 days before arriving in India must follow extra steps after arrival. In addition to a negative RT-PCR taken at most 72 hours before departure and filling in the Air Suvidha health form, passengers will:
- Book an RT-PCR/Rapid PCR test before arrival
- Take a PCR test on arrival at the airport and await the results
- If negative, passengers must self-quarantine for seven days
- On the 8th day, travelers have to take another PCR test to end quarantine
- Monitor their health for 14 days since arrival.
While these are the minimum conditions all airports must enforce, each state can add its own rules. For instance, those flying into Mumbai will undergo an institutional quarantine if they have been in South Africa, Botswana, or Zimbabwe in the last 14 days. However, nearly all other ports of entry follow the national guidance.
All other countries
For passengers not having been in any of the above countries for the last two weeks, the rules remain largely the same. Due to Omicron’s spread, the government has added that 2% of passengers from all international flights will have to take a PCR test on arrival. Airlines will identify the passengers for random testing, and they will be separated on arrival.
These passengers will then need to monitor their health for 14 days but aren’t required to quarantine or take additional tests. This means passengers from busy markets like the US or the Middle East and return to India with minimal restrictions despite the spread of Omicron globally.
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Containing the spread
As the threat of Omicron becomes clearer, with surges in the UK and mainland Europe, India will be on high alert for rising cases. The variant has already delayed India’s reopening of scheduled international flights, which means passengers must stick to restrictive “travel bubbles” and face high ticket prices.
As always, travel regulations are ever-changing, and India may update its guidance anytime. Real-time updates can be found on the MoHFW website and always double-check rules at your arrival airport. For now, it seems India will not be imposing onerous hotel quarantine on all arrivals, denting traffic significantly.
What do you think about India’s latest travel rules? Let us know in the comments!
