India-Dubai flight: If you get GDRFA approval and the Covid test result is negative, you can travel-News

Dubai residency visa holders can travel from India to Dubai as long as they are approved by the General Directorate of Residence and Aliens Affairs (GDRFA) and the Covid test result is negative.

Khaleej Times was informed that the airline representative at the check-in counter will check these two requirements, not the passenger’s Covid vaccination status.

An Emirates support executive responded to customers on Twitter that passengers must have a negative PCR test within 48 hours before departure and a rapid PCR test negative 4 hours before travel.

Hi, Dubai residency visa holders can travel as long as they show a GDRFA-approved printout, a negative PCR test performed within 48 hours before departure, and a negative PCR test performed 04 hours before travel. If you have more questions, please DM us. https://t.co/pPS8nj0zog.

— Emirates Support (@EmiratesSupport) August 9, 2021

A senior Air India official in the UAE confirmed to Khaleej Times: “According to the instructions issued by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, passengers only need three documents to disembark in Dubai. They need to obtain GDRFA approval and RT-PCR test results 48 hours before departure. Is negative, and the rapid PCR test result at the airport.”

The Indian airline Vistara Airlines has notified travel agencies and other stakeholders in this regard.

An airline source told Khaleej Times: “According to the regulations passed to us by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, the airline’s responsibility is to check whether passengers traveling to Dubai have a valid GDRFA approval; not their vaccination status.”

However, it is not clear whether airline representatives will confirm the vaccination status of passengers travelling to Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah airports.

Please also read:

>> UAE flights from restricted countries: How do exempt passengers travel

Passengers can apply for GDRFA approval here.

Last week, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) announced, Fully vaccinated residence visa holders from six countries As long as they have been vaccinated twice in the UAE, they can return to the UAE.

Certain categories of travelers—including medical staff, teachers, students, Expo 2020 staff, medical exemptions, and humanitarian cases—can travel regardless of their vaccination status.

Danusha Gukulan

Dhanusha Gokulan is from India and has been working as a journalist for more than ten years. For Khaleej Times, she reports on NRI affairs, civil aviation and immigration issues. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism, economics and English literature from Mangalore University in 2008, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in contemporary media leadership and innovation at the American University in Dubai. In her spare time, she gets involved in singing/song writing, loves food, and is the mother of an over-enthusiastic Labrador Retriever. On her Twitter @shootsprintrite.