Dubai revises travel guidelines for Pakistan, India, other countries

• Travellers must seek permission from Dubai authorities before entering the city.
• Terms of negative reports for a PCR test and Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test remain in place.
  
• The new travel guidelines will be applicable to passengers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India.

DUBAI: The Dubai International Airport authorities on Tuesday issued a new set of regulations for entrance into the city.

As per the new rules, only those individuals possessing a Golden Visa will be allowed to enter the city, while all other travellers must seek permission from the Dubai authorities to be granted entrance.

Besides, the terms of presenting a negative report for a PCR test done 48 hours before the flight and a negative report for the Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test done four hours before the flight remain in place.

The aforementioned travel guidelines will be applicable to passengers flying to Dubai from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and India.

Showing vaccination certificates before entering the city is mandatory for travellers from all the aforementioned countries, except for Pakistan.

Last month, the Emirates had extended its flight suspension order for Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to Dubai till July 28 in line with the UAE government’s directives, the airline said in its advisory.

Dubai, a business and tourism hub, is the most populous of the UAE's seven emirates. Throughout the pandemic, the UAE's seven emirates have set some of their own COVID-19 policies.

Sharjah allows entry to Pakistanis without PCR tests

Meanwhile, Sharjah allowed Pakistani passengers to travel without a rapid PCR test.

Sharjah and Dubai had imposed the condition of presenting a rapid PCR test for travellers from Pakistan and other South Asian countries due to the spread of the Delta variant.

Due to the absence of testing facilities at the airports, however, thousands of travellers wishing to return to the UAE had become stranded in Pakistan.

On August 6, two flights departed from Karachi to Dubai but the airlines offloaded 70 passengers due to the non-fulfilment of the PCR test condition.

At this, the government of Pakistan had appealed for reviewing the decision and requested the UAE authorities to accept the rapid antigen diagnostic test reports of the Pakistanis holding Golden Visas.

Sources said that considering the request of Pakistani authorities, Sharjah has agreed to accept the rapid antigen tests of the passengers arriving from Pakistan.