Travel to India – No need of RT-PCR Test, if Vaccinated

Every country in the world, including India, are trying to adjust their policies to live in the new norm COVID era with vaccination. To spur economic activity and ease travel restrictions, the Indian Government announced yesterday, Feb 10th, 2022 that they are changing the policies for RT-PCR tests for anyone entering the country from Feb 14th, 2022. We will cover all those details in this article like list of countries, what happens at airport during boarding and on arrival.

No need of negative RT-PCR Report, if Fully Vaccinated

Indian Govt. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gave new guidance for international arrivals into India. Below are the details

• As of Feb 14th, 2022 it is mandatory to have a negative COVID RT-PCR Report for anyone entering India.
• From Feb 14th, 2022 (12:01 AM IST), travelers to India have an additional option, if they are fully vaccinated. They can upload the certificate of full primary vaccination for COVID-19 to Air Suvidha website, instead of negative COVID RT-PCR report.
• Travelers to India need to still complete the self declaration form online at Air Suvidha Portal – https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airsuvidha/apho-registration. They need to upload their vaccination certificate as part of the self declaration process.
• As of Feb 10th, 2022, this new option of uploading “Fully Vaccinated for COVID-19 Certificate” is available to travelers from 82 Countries, where India has ties. The list is in below sections of the article.
• Also, to avoid fraud, users need to submit a declaration on authenticity stating that the vaccination certificate is genuine and subject to criminal prosecution, if found otherwise.
• Children under 5 years of age are exempted from pre-arrival and post-arrival testing. But, if they have COVID symptoms, they would need to undergo testing.
• Below is the Official Guidance Screenshot regarding the new provision from India Ministry of Health & Family Welfare website

Vaccination Certificates Accepted List of Countries

As of Feb 10th, 2022, below is the full list of countries, from where the vaccination certificates for COVID-19 would be accepted. It includes all the major countries like US, UK, Australia, European nations, etc.

The big exceptions are China, UAE that are not in the below list. You can check the official list of countries on India Ministry of Health & Family Welfare website

What Happens at Airport during Boarding flight to India

Below are the checks that would happen when someone is boarding flight to India with the new guidance that is effective from Feb 14th, 2022.

• Airlines will check for the Self Declaration form that was filled out by passenger on Air Suvidha Portal.
• Airlines will check for the negative RT-PCR test or COVID-19 vaccination certification
• They will check temperature and only travelers without any COVID-19 symptoms like fever would be allowed to board the flight. There will be thermal screening.
• They would suggest to download the Aarogya Setu App on mobiles

What Happens on Arrival at Airport in India

Below are the checks and guidance that would be followed when someone arrives in India starting from Feb 14th, 2022.

• Thermal screening would be conducted to check the temperature of the passengers by health officials.
• You need to show the self declaration from at the airport to the health staff.
• If at airport, anyone has COVID symptoms or has temperature, they would be isolated and taken to medical facility.
• About 2% of the passengers arriving in flights will undergo random post arrival COVID-19 testing and samples will be collected from them.
• All travelers are advised to check health for 14 days after arrival.

What do you think of the new guidance ? Do you think it will increase travel and boost tourism ?

Below is the Official Guidance Document