Guidelines for travelers entering India

If you had decided to travel to India for the Christmas break and had to cancel your flights due to the Omnicron outbreak then we have some good news for you!

Follow the latest guidelines issued by the Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and book your last-minute flights to India to travel while protecting yourself from the new Omicron variant.

New Variant

The existing guidelines have been revised by the Government of India due to the discovery of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, named Omicron which has been now classified as a Variant of Concern by the World Health Organization. India is expecting lakhs of travelers this winter season.

The new guidelines have been in effect since 1st December 2021

At-risk countries

Countries in Europe including The United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong, and Israel are the countries from where travelers would need to follow additional measures on arrival in India, including post-arrival testing (Countries at-risk)

Travelers who have been in these countries in the last 14 days before arriving in India must follow extra steps after arrival

New Guidelines to be followed by all countries

• Submit self-declaration form on the Air Suvidha portal online
• Upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report valid only if the sample is taken in the period within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey.
• Submit a declaration with respect to the authenticity of the RT- PCR report
• Submit a declaration that the passenger will follow the decision of the appropriate government authority to undergo home/institutional quarantine/ self-health monitoring, as deemed necessary
• 2% of the total flight passengers will be chosen randomly to undergo post-arrival testing at the airport on arrival.
• At the time of boarding the flight, only asymptomatic travelers will be allowed to board after the thermal screening.

New additional Guidelines to be followed while traveling from AT RISK countries

1. Take a COVID 19 test at the airport in India upon arrival and wait for the test results before leaving the Airport. This RT-PCR test can be pre-booked by the traveler via Air Suvidha online.
2. If the result is negative the passenger shall be home quarantined for 7 days and take another RTPCR test on the 8^th day and if this test is negative they will monitor their health for another 7 days.
3. It the test result at the airport is positive they shall be managed at a separate isolation facility.
4. The state governments can impose additional rules like Mumbai has imposed compulsory institutional quarantine.

The majority of travelers for the winter vacation period are generally from USA, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia. These countries except the UK are not in the “At risk” countries.  Follow the latest guidelines mentioned above and book your last-minute flights from USA to India now!

Also Read: New guidelines for International travel to USA issued by the CDC