In some relief for the Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), passengers travelling to India need not register with the Indian Consulate in Dubai or the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi ahead of the journey. The latest announcement from the Consulate General of India(CGI) comes in the wake of the "air bubble agreement" between the UAE and India.
The registration process was earlier introduced to facilitate the repatriation of Indian nationals under the Vande Bharat Mission. Based on the registrations, the Indian Embassy or Consulate would shortlist passengers based on their urgencies and reasons for travel and coordinate with the Air India airline, the official carrier under VBM, to make arrangements for issuing tickets.
Since the registration is no longer required now, passengers travelling to India can directly book their flight tickets.
“India and the UAE are continuing with the air bubble agreement. Hence, the registration by Indian nationals who desire to travel to India from UAE, is no longer required on the Consulate General of India, Dubai website,” said a statement from CGI issued on Tuesday. The registration system will be abolished with immediate effect.
Under the air bubble agreement, which is a bilateral arrangement between two countries, airlines from both countries can operate international flights with certain restrictions and regulations.
“Since a number of flights are operational by both UAE and Indian carriers, along with flights operated by Air India/Air Indian Express from Dubai/Sharjah, tickets for which are available online… people can book their tickets with different airlines, as per their schedule on the internet or through booking agents,” the statement read.
The CGI also highlighted that even though taking an RT-PCR test for COVID-19 before the journey is not mandatory, it highly recommended getting it done as it would eliminate the process of institutional quarantining on arrival at the airports in India.
The RT-PCR test should be taken 96 hours prior to the date of departure and it should be uploaded on the Air Suvidha portal.
The CGI also advised the people travelling to the UAE from India to follow the guidelines issued by the governments in UAE/Dubai/Sharjah, including the mandatory RT-PCR test and immigration authorities approval, wherever required.
It urged Indian nationals coming to UAE on visiting visa to carry adequate travel/health insurance for the duration of their visa, before the journey.
"There is no restriction from the Indian side for any kind of traveller coming to UAE from India, nor there is any registration process for people travelling from India to UAE,” the CGI said.
CGI Dubai went on to advise all Indian nationals living in the UAE to follow the safety guidelines issued by their respective Emirates, to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Press Release on "Registration of Indian nationals for repatriation" in CGI, Dubai website. pic.twitter.com/8Hjar4XQrG
— India in Dubai (@cgidubai) September 1, 2020
The Indian Embassy in UAE also said it is assisting Indian nationals who would like to avail the Amnesty scheme but do not have the valid documents. The Embassy will issue them with Emergency Certificate (EC) on gratis basis to enable them to travel back to India.
In the advisory, the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi, and Consulate General of India (CGI), Dubai welcomed the decision of the UAE government authorities to extend the validity of the visa fine waiver (Amnesty) scheme till November 17, 2020, for those foreign nationals whose visa expired before March 1, 2020.
The advisory also contained an important list of instructions for Indian nationals who do not have valid passports or travel documents.
This initiative will begin from September 1, 2020, and will be in operation until October 31, 2020, and is intended to enable distressed/stranded Indian nationals to avail the visa fine waiver scheme and travel to India by November 17, 2020.
Advisory on issuance of Emergency Certificates (EC's) to Indian nationals. pic.twitter.com/yYwew6Yofl
— India in Dubai (@cgidubai) September 1, 2020