Rules for UAE residents and visitors arriving in Dubai

November 10, 2022

Vaccination certificates and PCR tests are no longer required to enter Dubai and Abu Dhabi

As of 8 November 2022, travelers traveling to or from Dubai and transiting through Dubai are no longer required to present a COVID-19 vaccination certificate or perform PCR tests.

Passengers traveling from or via Dubai only need to comply with the transit and entry requirements for the country of destination.

To be allowed on a flight, you must meet the requirements of all countries to which you are traveling and in which you are transiting. This applies to your country of departure, transit country and final destination. In addition, policies regarding your recent travel may apply.

Depending on your nationality, you may be able to obtain a visa upon arrival or apply for a tourist visa in advance at the Dubai Immigration Service prior to departure.

Check if you need a visa

How to get a visa to the UAE

November 7, 2022

The UAE remove most of the covid restrictions within the country

Since November 7, 2022, the United Arab Emirates announced the removal of all covid restrictions and the abolition of all precautions within the country

• The obligatory wearing of masks in all rooms will be canceled, with the exception of medical institutions
• To visit public places, you do not need to activate Green Pass in the Alhosn application. This application will now be used only in some cases (for example: when it is necessary to confirm medical documents)

When conducting measures, in particular, sports, spectacular, cultural, cultural, the organizers left the right to introduce the conditions of visiting depending on the epidemiological situation, type or importance of the event.

IMPORTANT! Entrance rules have not yet changed!

• Vaccinated must provide a certificate of vaccination with a QR code ("satellite V" is recognized)
• Unvaccinated must provide the PCR test not older than 48 hours
• Children under 12 years old can enter without these documents

The five-day period of isolation for persons infected with COVID-19 is also preserved.

Information about this was published by the NCema and Gulf News Emergency Situations.

February 26, 2022

Rules for passengers traveling to/from Dubai

Procedures for passengers flying to/from/via Dubai change frequently and therefore we have prepared here everything you need to know when planning your trip.

Changes effective February 26, 2022

* * *

All passengers arriving in Dubai

1. Must fill in the DECLARATION FORM and download the COVID19 mobile application - DXB Smart App (App Store, Google Play) and check in before departure or upon arrival.

2. All passengers (tourists/visa on arrival) arriving in Dubai must be in possession of valid health insurance that can be used in the UAE.

3. All transit/transfer passengers flying through Dubai airports are advised to carry valid health insurance.

4. Pass a PCR test for COVID-19 at an approved laboratory in the country of departure. Submit a printed copy of the negative result in English or Arabic in order to be allowed on the flight. Electronic copies on mobile phones and handwritten test results will not be accepted.

5. Follow COVID-19 precautions such as:

• Wearing a mask
• Social distancing
• Regular hand washing

* * *

All passengers departing from Dubai

All passengers departing from Dubai must comply with the requirements of the countries through which they are transiting, as well as the country of their final destination.

* * *

Passengers transiting through Dubai

Passengers are not required to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result prior to flight departure to Dubai if:

• You are in Dubai in transit
• Your trip started from a country not on this list: Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Liberia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka
• It is not provided by your final destination

Make sure (!) that you can fulfill all requirements of transit countries and final destination.

If you are transiting through Dubai and your journey starts in Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Liberia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, you must:

• Obtain the necessary permission/admission to enter the country that is their final destination
• Provide a printed copy of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (with QR code displayed) in English or Arabic, conducted in a certified laboratory (in the country of departure) no more than 72 hours before the departure of your flight to Dubai

Passengers traveling from countries where a 48-hour PCR test is required

Passengers traveling to Dubai from Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine must:

1. When checking in for a flight, present one of the following documents:*

• A valid certificate of receipt of a vaccine (2 doses) approved by WHO or the UAE, which includes the presence of a QR Code System
• A valid certificate of negative Covid-19 test, which must be based on molecular diagnostics designed to qualitatively detect the nucleic acid of SARS-COV-2 viral RNA (PCR), issued no later than 48 hours from the date of sample collection and from an approved health service using the QR Code System.
• A medical certificate issued by the relevant authorities confirming that the passenger recovered from Covid-19 within 1 month (the date of recovery and the date of arrival in the UAE) with a QR Code System

* All of the above documents must be printed in English/Arabic and have a QR code.

2. Upon arrival at Dubai / Sharjah airport, it is mandatory to undergo PCR testing at the airport.

3. Before receiving the test result, the passenger must be in self-isolation.

Passengers traveling through Dubai from these countries are subject to the terms/conditions governing any onward transit point or entry to the final destination of those passengers.

* * *

Passengers traveling from countries where a 72-hour PCR test is required

If you are a resident of the UAE or a visitor arriving in Dubai from any country not listed below, you must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (from a test taken in the country of departure no more than 72 hours prior to your flight departure to Dubai).

Requirements for UAE Resident Visa Holders

If your residence visa is issued by any emirate other than Dubai, you will need to confirm your entry/re-entry into the UAE at uaeentry.ica.gov.ae before booking your flight. Without an entry/re-entry permit to Dubai, you will not be allowed on the flight. You can check the validity of your visa here.

Please note (!) that if you have a residence visa in the UAE, you must not stay outside the country for more than 180 days.

Passengers traveling from African countries

From November 29, 2021 until further notice, passengers traveling from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe, or who have transited through these countries in the past 14 days, will not be allowed to enter or transit through Dubai.

This does not apply to:

• Employees of official representations between the UAE and the above countries
• UAE citizens
• Members of diplomatic missions between the UAE and the above countries
• UAE Golden Visa holders

The excluded categories of passengers must:

• Present a printed copy of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (with QR code displayed) in English or Arabic, taken in the country of departure at an approved medical facility no more than 48 hours before the departure of their flight to Dubai
• Pass an express PCR test within 6 hours before boarding the plane (this is mandatory (!) if there is a test center at the airport of departure)
• Take a PCR test upon arrival in Dubai and self-isolate until you receive a negative test result

Departure from Dubai to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe is permitted. However, UAE nationals are prohibited from entering these countries with the following exceptions:

• UAE officials
• UAE nationals who have been excluded and/or authorized by the relevant authorities to travel due to an emergency
• UAE nationals participating in educational/research missions who need to travel to these countries

Passengers traveling from Nigeria, Uganda, Vietnam or Zambia

Starting November 27, 2021, passengers who have been in or transited through Nigeria, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia in the past 14 days will only be able to travel to Dubai upon presentation of a printed copy of a negative PCR test result for COVID-19 ( with a QR code displayed) in English or Arabic, handed in in the country of departure at an approved medical facility no more than 72 hours before the departure of their flight to Dubai.

Passengers are not required to undergo a rapid PCR test at the airport of departure, but they must undergo a PCR test upon arrival in Dubai.

UAE residents do not need a permit issued by the General Directorate of Residents and Aliens Affairs (GDRFA) or the Federal Office of Identity and Citizenship (ICA) to return to the UAE.

Passengers traveling from restricted countries

Passengers who have been to/or transited through restricted countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Sudan) in the last 14 days will be allowed to travel to Dubai if they hold any type of visa and/ or an entry permit (provided by the relevant authority in the UAE) and subject to the following entry requirements:

• Passengers who are holders of a UAE resident visa issued in Dubai must have a permit issued by the General Directorate of Residents and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) to return to the UAE and passengers who are holders of a UAE resident visa issued in any other emirate (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain) must have a permit (with QR code) issued by the Federal Identity and Citizenship Authority (ICA) to return to the UAE (this does not apply to passengers departing from Afghanistan, Ethiopia or Sudan)
• Passengers must present a printed copy of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (with QR code display) in English or Arabic, taken in the country of departure at an approved medical facility no more than 48 hours before the departure of their flight to Dubai
• Passengers (excluding those traveling from Indonesia) must undergo a rapid PCR test (based on molecular diagnostic testing designed to qualitatively detect nucleic acid for SARS-COV-2 viral RNA) at the airport of departure 6 hours prior to boarding the aircraft and the test certificate must contain a QR code (passengers traveling from Ethiopia must be at check-in 7 hours before the departure of their flight)
• Passengers must undergo a PCR test upon arrival in Dubai

Passengers departing from any of the above countries via one of these countries with restrictions must undergo a rapid PCR test at the transit point 6 hours before the departure of the flight to Dubai or at the point of departure 6 hours before departure if they were not included in the transit paragraph.

Passengers departing from a country not listed above through a country with restrictions must undergo a rapid PCR test at a transit point 6 hours before the flight to Dubai (if they entered the transit point).

* * *

Passengers traveling from countries without restrictions

If you are a resident of the UAE or arriving in the UAE from the country without restrictions, you must provide a negative PCR test result for COVID-19 conducted in the country of departure no more than 72 hours before the departure of your flight to Dubai.

Passengers arriving from the following countries will also be required to undergo an additional PCR test when landing in Dubai: Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Myanmar, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Senegal, Slovakia, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine.

Passengers arriving from Egypt or Lebanon

Passengers arriving in Dubai from Egypt or Lebanon must present a printed copy of a negative PCR test result for COVID-19 in English or Arabic performed by a certified laboratory (in the country from which they are traveling) no more than 72 hours before the departure of their flight to Dubai. The test result should display a QR code.

UAE nationals and first-degree relatives returning to Dubai

UAE citizens are not required to undergo a PCR test before returning to Dubai, regardless of where they are flying from and the time spent there. UAE nationals will be tested upon arrival in Dubai.

This exemption from the requirement to undergo PCR testing prior to arrival in Dubai also applies to the following categories of passengers:

• Arriving passengers accompanying the next of kin of a UAE citizen
• Domestic workers are accompanied by a national sponsor from the UAE

These passengers must be on the same flight as their relative or sponsor.

PCR testing

Before departure:

• PCR test for COVID-19 is required no more than 72 or 48 hours before your flight to Dubai
• Submit a printed copy of the negative result in English or Arabic in order to be allowed on the flight
• The test must be taken at an approved laboratory

On arrival:

Arriving passengers from the following countries will be required to undergo an additional PCR test when landing in Dubai: Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Philippines, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somalia, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam , Zambia or Zimbabwe.

If you need to take a PCR test for COVID-19 upon arrival in Dubai, you will be quarantined until you receive your results. If your test is positive, you will be placed in a 14-day quarantine. You will also need to download the COVID19 – DXB Smart App (App Store, Google Play) and register with the Dubai Health Authority before traveling to Dubai.

Please note (!) that even if you are not required to take a second PCR test upon arrival in Dubai, you may be randomly selected for another test. If you have been randomly selected for a second test upon arrival in Dubai, you will need to download the COVID19 – DXB Smart app and will be quarantined until you receive your results.

* moderate to severe disability includes neurological disorders, as well as intellectual or developmental disorders (for example: acute spinal cord injury, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), ataxia, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Bell's palsy, brain tumor brain, cerebral aneurysm, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, epilepsy and convulsions).

All other passengers (including those with vision, hearing or mobility impairments) must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test as required.

Please note (!) that the certificate with the results of the PCR test must be issued in the country of departure. However, negative PCR test results issued in the UAE can be used to return to Dubai if the test result is still valid for the country you are traveling from (either 48 or 72 hours). Passengers traveling to Dubai from a restricted country must still take a rapid PCR test at the airport 6 hours before departure.

If the validity of your test differs in the country you are departing from or arriving in, you must comply with the most stringent requirements.