International travel resumes: List of countries Indians can travel to now
Here’s a list of countries one can travel to from India, keeping some Covid rules and precautionary measures in mind.
Photo used for representational purpose only
With countries scrambling to improve immunity against coronavirus and the global vaccination cover improving slowly but steadily, international travel, too, is finding its pace. Many countries are now allowing Indian visitors and accepting Indian vaccine candidates as a reliable preventive mechanism. Here’s a list of countries one can travel to from India, as of September 2021.
USA: The US government has planned to ease Covid-related travel restrictions on 33 countries, including India. While the Joe Biden administration is yet to decide on the vaccines which will get accepted in the USA, travellers will still need a negative Covid PCR report from a sample taken no more than three days before the date of departure. According to a New York Times report, “the halt to the 18-month ban on travel from 33 countries” including India, “could help rejuvenate a US tourism industry that has been crippled by the pandemic”. At the moment, US has allowed students to fly into the country for the start of the fall semester.
Canada: Canada has lifted the ban on commercial passenger flights from India. The first flight to Toronto from Delhi is on 22 September. Passengers travelling from Delhi must carry an RT-PCR report for a test done 18 hours before the boarding time. After a four-month-long pause, the resumption of flights will help many Indians, living in both countries, connect with their families.
Thailand: The Thailand Embassy has announced that it would resume issuing some visas to allow non-Thai nationals to visit Thailand. These include visas for students, those with a work permit, and those with a residency permit. However, applicants for tourist visas will still need to wait.
United Kingdom: The UK government has divided all countries into three lists – red, amber and green. While the red list signifies countries with strict restrictions on travel, the ‘amber’ list in its ‘traffic light system’ mandates a set of testing and quarantine requirements. India is part of the amber list now. Once the ‘traffic light’ goes, the UK will have only a ‘red’ list with mandatory quarantine requirements even for fully vaccinated visitors, if the vaccine is not on the authorised list. As of now, Indian vax Covishield and Covaxin are not recognised by the country.
Germany: The European country has reclassified India to “high (Covid) incidence areas” — down from the higher travel restriction level of “virus variant areas”. With this, it removed the entry ban for travellers from India.
Turkey: The Turkish Embassy has announced that visitors flying from India are exempted from mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival as long as they were fully vaccinated, making travelling to Turkey from India easy.
Kenya: Kenya has opened up for Indians for travel. According to a statement by Kenya Tourism Board, the ban of passenger flights from India was revoked after a brief period of suspension since May this year, .
Italy: Italy has accepted Covishield as a vaccine eligible for Green Pass. The Indian Embassy in Rome said on Friday that the country has recognised the Covishield vaccine and people who have received the jab are now eligible to come to Italy for travel.
Nepal: The Himalayan country has resumed visa-on-arrival for fully vaccinated international tourists with no quarantine requirement. Travellers willing to enter Nepal via road can also obtain a visa-on-arrival, but they need to fill an online departure form.
UAE: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has relaxed travel guidelines and COVID protocols for travellers from India ahead of Expo 2020 Dubai. All Indian visitors, tourists or otherwise, can now enter UAE by following some eased protocols.
Spain: Spain has reopened for travellers from India. However, visitors from India must meet some requirements when planning to travel to Spain. Indian passengers must be fully vaccinated with Covishield and children under 12 years of age are not obliged to present these documents or other supporting documents. Also, Indian travellers must have a Schengen visa or apply for a Spanish visa through the online visa application centre.
