Entry Guidelines for US Citizens Traveling to India During COVID-19

As the frequency of Covid-19 cases has reduced, travelling all around the world has started. With the decreasing number of cases, all the travel bans have come to an end. India itself has removed all the travel bans and has resumed all the international flights. Since the vaccination drive has been running on a very large scale in certain countries so the world is experiencing a safer environment.

There are some travel requirements that all international travellers need to follow.

• Arriving at an airport, all arrivals are screened. Anyone showing symptoms will be taken to a medical facility. There is also random testing on passengers, which is done at the passenger’s expense.
• Anyone who tests positive on arrival at the airport will be taken to government isolation facilities, along with passengers found seated within three rows of them on the flight, and the relevant cabin crew will also be verified for the same, whether or not they have tested negative.
• All passengers aged five years and older must upload a self-declaration form on the Air Suvidha Portal. The passengers must also confirm that they will always abide by all COVID-19 decisions taken around potential quarantine or testing, and that their declarations are correct.
• Prior to now, all arrivals must present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of commencing their journey.
• Since February 14, those who have been vaccinated with WHO-recognized vaccines or countries that have agreements of mutual recognition of vaccine certificates within India do not have to present any RT-PCR test on arrival. This covers 82 countries till now, including the US and the UK. Those who do not qualify must still go for the test.
• No arrivals will need to quarantine. Instead, international passengers will be requested to “self-monitor their health” for 14 days following their arrival.
• Until that date, visitors from countries who would be “at risk” must go for another PCR test on arrival, which must be booked in advance through the online Air Suvidha Portal. They would not be allowed to leave the airport until they received a negative test result.
• They must then quarantine for seven days and should go for a retest on day 8 to leave the quarantine venue.
• The risk list consists of 19 countries, including Brazil, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the UK, with the entire continent of Europe.
• Additionally, non-vaccinated or partially vaccinated arrivals must isolate themselves for seven days and then must go for a test on day eight, and continue to monitor their health for another week.