Dubai opens its doors for fully vaccinated permanent resident visa holders starting June 23rd.

While Indians have been barred entry across majority international borders ever since the second wave wreaked havoc, Dubai is gradually opening its doors. Being one of the major business hubs globally, many Indians have set up base in the emirate for commercial reasons, but were stuck in India when the international borders were closed.

Who all can travel to Dubai?

As per media reports, only those Indians who are permanent visa holders of Dubai will be allowed to enter the country, from June 23rd, subject to them being fully vaccinated with two doses of the emirate approved vax. The four vaccines approved by the UAE government are Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik V and Oxford-AstraZeneca. The Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai, headed by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced these protocols.

Photo of Dubai opens its doors for fully vaccinated permanent resident visa holders starting June 23rd. 2/3 by thewanderjoy — (C): Unsplash, Darcey Beau

What are the "Conditions Apply"?

There are several other preconditions to travel to Dubai. Over and above being fully vaccinated, a negative test certificate from a PCR test taken 48 hours before departure is required. UAE nationals, however, are exempted from this requirement. These negative test certificates have to mandatorily be QR-coded.

Additional mandatories for Indian travellers.

Furthermore, passengers from India are required to undergo a rapid PCR test four hours prior to departure to Dubai. The passengers must also undergo another PCR test on arrival in Dubai. In addition, following arrival, passengers from India should undergo institutional quarantine until they receive their PCR test result, which is expected within 24 hours.