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.
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
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!
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:
* * *
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:
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:
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:*
* 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:
The excluded categories of passengers must:
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:
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 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 who cannot meet all of the above entry requirements must stay 14 days in the country without restrictions before traveling to Dubai. |
* * *
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:
These passengers must be on the same flight as their relative or sponsor.
PCR testing
Before departure:
[ ! ] Electronic copies on mobile phones and handwritten test results are not accepted! |
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.
[ ! ] Children under the age of 12 and passengers with moderate to severe disabilities* are exempt from testing. |
* 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.
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