Dubai PCR Test Entry Requirements: All You Need To Know

Traveling during a pandemic is challenging, especially given the rigorous pre-travel tests that must be completed. A negative PCR test result is one such necessary prerequisite, which is required by various countries.

Dubai has also imposed stringent testing requirements across its borders to ensure that the virus does not spread. You should be informed of the most recent PCR test admission requirements in Dubai.

Travel Limitations in Dubai

Travelers from the UK to Dubai

Travelers from the UK are welcome to visit Dubai and the rest of the UAE, but they must produce documentation of a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before departure for arrivals in Dubai and no more than 48 hours before departure for arrivals in Abu Dhabi. Those traveling to the emirates may be asked to do a second PCR test once they arrive, and they will have to isolate until the results are known.

The COVID-19 PCR report must include a QR code linked to the original report for verification reasons for travelers arriving from the following countries. Upon arrival in Dubai airports, the QR code must be provided during check-in and to representatives of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA):

Indonesia
Sudan
Lebanon
Egypt
Ethiopia
Nigeria
Vietnam

Indian National Travelers

Indian nationals traveling to or from India via Dubai can receive a visa on arrival in Dubai for a maximum stay of 14 days if they meet the following criteria:

Possess a United States guest visa or green card, or a residence visa granted by the United Kingdom or the European Union.
The visa must be valid for at least 6 months and be issued by the United States, the United Kingdom, or the European Union.
Guests must have an official written or digital certificate in English or Arabic to check-in Certificates sent through SMS are not valid. It is recommended that they print out his certificate because he may be required to display it upon arrival in Dubai.
Children under the age of 11 are not required to take a test to enter Dubai.
Visitors traveling in Dubai from India, Indonesia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, or Zimbabwe would be required to take a second test upon arrival and be isolated until their test results are received.
Indian people with a standard passport who are going to or from India via Dubai can get a visa on arrival in Dubai for a maximum stay of 14 days if they hold a valid US visiting visa or green card, or a UK or EU residence visa.
Before visiting Dubai, visitors must have valid international health insurance and must register their information on the Covid-19 DXB Smart App. A Health Declaration Form and a Quarantine Form will also be requested of them. Both must be printed, filled out, and given to Dubai Health Authority personnel upon arrival.
If your flight began in the United Kingdom and you are transiting through Dubai to your final destination, you DO NOT need to present a negative PCR test result; however, you must still follow the instructions of your final destination, as they may require a COVID-19 test before travel to allow entry. You may need to undergo an additional PCR test and have a negative result if you are transiting through Dubai to the UK from another country, regardless of whether you need a test to enter the UK.

Omnicore Variants

Passengers who have traveled or transited through the following countries in the last 14 days are not authorized to enter Dubai due to the recent spike in infections caused by the Omicron variant:

Botswana
Eswatini
Lesotho
Mozambique
Namibia
South Africa is a country in Africa.
Zimbabwe

Citizens of the United Arab Emirates, diplomatic missions, golden visa residents, and official delegations are exempt from these travel restrictions and are allowed to enter Dubai. Passengers from the United Arab Emirates can still fly to these seven countries.

Passengers who have been in or transited through Nigeria, Uganda, Vietnam, or Zambia in the previous 14 days will only be allowed to travel to Dubai if they can present a pre-departure negative Covid-19 PCR test result from an approved health service no more than 72 hours before the departure of their inbound flight to Dubai starting on November 27, 2021. On arriving in Dubai, they must additionally undergo a PCR test.

What’s the Covid-19 situation in UAE?

The United States has reduced its travel warning for the United Arab Emirates to Level 1 (low) and urges its nationals to be fully vaccinated before visiting.

The UAE has registered 2,148 deaths linked to Covid-19 as of December 2, with 466 additional instances reported in the last week. Its vaccination campaign has been quick and thorough. According to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, more than 90% of the population has been fully vaccinated.

Do visitors to Dubai have to go through the quarantine?

Depending on the nation from which the traveler is traveling, a PCR test may be necessary upon arrival in Dubai. They may also be asked to perform a random PCR test when they arrive. If they’re doing a PCR test, they’ll have to stay in quarantine until the results come back. If the test is positive, they must be isolated for ten days, usually in a private house, a hotel, or a government facility. Long before you arrive in Dubai, double-check what the rules are for PCR tests, depending on the nation you’re coming from.

Quarantine Requirements

At all UAE airports, strict entry restrictions apply, which may include, but are not limited to, a Health Authority COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival, a mandatory quarantine period, usually via self-isolation at a private address if appropriate, or a hotel or government facility, and follow-up testing before you can complete quarantine. You must continue to comply with all precautions put in place by the UAE authorities to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after any quarantine period has ended.

Arrivals from high-risk nations, as well as those for whom private lodging in the UAE is deemed unsuitable, will almost certainly be obliged to quarantine in a government quarantine facility.

What can Visitors look forward to?

Except at restaurants, cafes, offices, workplaces, gyms, shopping centers, beaches, and public and entertainment parks, where a one-meter rule applies, mask-wearing is required, as is maintaining a two-meter social distance.

Hotels may now be fully occupied, while restaurants, cafés, and shopping centers can now provide live entertainment and activities.

Is Dubai Listed As A Non-Red Zone?

Yes, regardless of vaccination status, travelers must perform a Covid-19 test (either lateral flow or PCR) within 48 hours of returning to the UK due to changed guidelines relating to the Omicron strain. On or before day two of their return, they must also complete a passenger location form and take a PCR test, as well as isolate at home until the findings are received.

Unvaccinated travelers must adhere to the previous amber list requirements, which include completing a passenger locator form, scheduling a pre-departure test, taking PCR tests on or before day two and on or after day eight, and quarantining at home for ten days (reduced to five days using the Test To Release system, although this is not available in Northern Ireland).

COVID‑19 testing laboratories:

The government of the United Arab Emirates has authorized specific laboratories. To acquire your COVID19 RTPCR test, you can go to any of the suggested laboratories on the list or any other trusted and certified laboratories in your country of origin.
To be admitted on the aircraft, you must obtain your certificate from one of the labs specified in the designated laboratories document if you are flying from India, Pakistan, Nigeria, or Bangladesh.

When you get there

You might need to take another COVID19 PCR test. You must stay in your hotel or apartment until you receive the exam results if you take a test at the airport.
If the test is positive, you will be placed in isolation and must adhere to the Dubai Health Authority’s rules.

What About Putting It To The Test At The Airport?

Passengers traveling in Dubai from the following countries will be subjected to a second COVID19 PCR test upon arrival at Dubai International Airport:

Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Russia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somaliland, Somalia

You must stay in your hotel or apartment until you receive the exam results if you take a test at the airport. If the test is positive, you will be placed in isolation and must adhere to the Dubai Health Authority’s rules.

● Tourists Passing Through Dubai

All transit travelers must meet all of their final destination’s standards.

Passengers from the following countries must provide a COVID-19 PCR test certificate for a test done within 72 hours of departure:

Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are the countries involved.

Passengers from these countries who have booked a Dubai Connect flight and intend to stopover in Dubai must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test performed within 48 hours of the sample being taken at an authorized health facility. Passengers must additionally submit a Rapid PCR test report with a QR code for a test performed within six hours of departure at the departure airport.

A negative COVID19 test certificate for a test done no more than 72 hours before departure is required for Ethiopian transit travelers.

● Traveling between Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Since June 2020, there have been restrictions on entering the emirate of Abu Dhabi via road.

From July 19, 2021, those who can show proof of receiving a negative PCR COVID-19 test result within the previous 48 hours will be allowed to enter the emirate of Abu Dhabi by road. Those who enter Abu Dhabi and stay for four days or more are required to take a PCR test on day four and day eight.

Residents of Abu Dhabi can enter the emirate by presenting a negative DPI laser test result from the previous 24 hours. If you enter Abu Dhabi with a DPI test result and stay for 48 hours or more, you must do a PCR test on day 3 and another PCR test on day 7 if you stay for seven days or more.

Fines and penalties may be imposed if PCR tests are not completed on time.

It is recommended that you allow enough time for traffic delays at the border if you are entering Abu Dhabi to catch a flight from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

● Test on Arrival

International travelers arriving in Dubai and traveling to Abu Dhabi should follow the amended international arrivals to Abu Dhabi instructions announced on December 22. If they have been in the UAE for less than 10 days, non-vaccinated travelers from non-green list countries will be required to quarantine.

Passengers traveling in Dubai from the following countries will be subjected to a second COVID19 PCR test upon arrival at Dubai International Airport:

Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Russia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somaliland, Somalia

● Test Exemptions

For travel to Dubai, a negative PCR test is required, except for the following passengers:

Residents of the United Arab Emirates
Passengers accompanying first-degree relatives Relatives or domestic servants of UAE nationals
During travel, domestic employees escort a UAE national sponsor.
COVID19 RTPCR tests are not required for children under the age of 12 or travelers with a moderate or severe handicap.
Neurological illnesses and intellectual or developmental disabilities are examples of moderate or severe disabilities. Acute spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Ataxia, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Bell’s palsy, Brain Tumors, Cerebral Aneurysms, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, and Seizures are just a few examples.
All other passengers, including those who are blind, deaf, or physically handicapped, must have a COVID19 RTPCR test certificate that is negative, according to the rules.

Here are the Covid-19 rules in Dubai as of December 6

Authorities recommend that people get a booster shot six months after their second immunization dosage.
In some sections of the emirate, the two-meter social distancing limit has been reduced to one meter.
For travel entering the UAE from neighboring nations, new requirements have been implemented.
Unvaccinated people must submit a negative PCR test result within 48 hours of entering a federal government department.
Hotels are back to full capacity, while entertainment venues are at 70 percent capacity (up from 50 percent)
At venues and hotels, weddings with up to 100 guests are permitted, but all workers and guests must be vaccinated.
Restaurants and cafes can serve up to 80% of their customers and stay open until 3 a.m.
In restaurants, ten people can sit at one table; in cafés, six people can sit at one table.
Weddings and other private parties in homes are limited to 30 people.
Concerts, sports spectator events, social and institutional gatherings are all authorized as long as the audience, participants, and personnel are all Covid-19 vaccinated.
Indoors, the maximum attendance for big public events that require permits is 1,500 people, and outside, the maximum attendance is 2,500 people.
Face masks are essential in both public and private meetings, and participants must maintain a physical distance from one another.

Final Words: General Travel Advice – UAE Visa and Entry Permits

The UAE Information and Services website has the most up-to-date information on UAE visas for COVID-19.

There are continuous regional tensions, and you should keep an eye on local media reports and heed local authorities’ recommendations in the event of an incident.

Terrorism is regarded as posing a serious threat. At this moment, you should be extra cautious.

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