Travelling To Dubai? You No Longer Need To Undergo PCR Test Before Departure

The Dubai Airport on Tuesday issued updated travel guidelines for passengers from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

A large number of Indians reside or travel frequently to Dubai (Getty Images)

New Delhi: With air travel returning to pre-Covid levels on the back of dip in coronavirus cases, Dubai has waived the requirement for Indian travellers to undergo rapid RT-PCR at airports before departure.

The Dubai Airport on Tuesday issued updated travel guidelines for passengers from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The new rules come as a breather for a large number of Indians who reside or travel frequently to Dubai.

READ | Regular International Flights Expected To Resume From March 15: Report

Indian nationals are now required to produce a negative Covid-19 test certificate taken up to 48 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight from an approved health service provider, the fresh advisory states. 

The passengers will be required to undergo a PCR test upon their arrival in Dubai. For transit passengers, the rules governing entry at the final destination will be applicable, the advisory said.

"The responsibility of ensuring that the conditions of travel are met will lie with the airline operators," it further said.

India recorded 13,405 new Covid-19 cases and 235 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India is likely to resume regular international flights from March 15, PTI quoted government sources as saying.

"Given the consistent decline in Covid cases, a decision on resuming scheduled international flights has almost been arrived at by the Civil Aviation Ministry following consultation with the Health Ministry," government sources said.

The DGCA has extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till February 28, 2022. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, such flights have been prohibited in India since March 23, 2020.

Since July 2020, special passenger flights have been operating between India and around 40 countries under air bubble arrangements.