Travel between USA - India amid Coronavirus: Frequently Asked Questions

 

Coronavirus and Travel between USA - India

 Frequently Asked Questions

Travelling during pandemic is overwhelming and is giving most people jitters, even after a year since the outbreak of Coronavirus. The landscape is shifting rapidly as countries worldwide slowly lift travel bans and resume international travel. On this page, we have addressed the most frequently asked questions from our customers about traveling from the USA to India and booking a trip at this time.

For Travel to India from the USA

We urge U.S. citizens to enroll in STEP at step.state.gov in order to receive critical information from the Embassy related to health and safety in India.

1. What are the latest quarantine rules for International travelers arriving in India?

Only travelers who have submitted self-declaration and a valid Negative RT-PCR report online will be allowed to board the international flight to India and will be exempted from quarantine. This applied to all travelers, including kids disregard of their age. They will be allowed to exit the airport or take the transit flights as well. The test must have been conducted within 72 hrs. of boarding the flight. Please refer #6 for links. 

Passengers traveling to India due to death in the family and not being able to get the negative test results in time can seek exemption from this mandatory requirement by applying online on the Air Suvidha portal. Please see #2.

2. Who are exempted from mandatory requirement of applying online at the portal and what documents are required to seek special exemption?

Only travelers who fall under below 2 categories will be exempted from the mandatory requirement of applying online at the portal before boarding the flight. Rest all will have to submit self-declaration and a valid Negative RT-PCR report online at the above mentioned airsuvidha portal.

IMP: Those who are granted exemption from online submission (in below cases) will require to take Covid test at the first entry airport. They will be permitted to exit the airport or take connecting flight after a negative report. It takes approximately between 2 hrs - 6 hrs.

1. Suffered a death in the family - By updating death certificate online at airsuvidha  portal

2. Exigency of death in the family - By updating medical certificate online at airsuvidha  portal

Exemption Request form must be filled and submitted online with supporting documents 72 hrs. before boarding flight. Exemption Requests will be approved or rejected online by respective state authorities.

Passengers traveling to India due to death in the family and not being able to get the negative test results in time can seek exemption from this mandatory requirement by applying online on the Air Suvidha portal. Those who are granted exemption will be allowed to proceed home after taking samples for testing at the designated area of first entry airport.

3. What kind of test will I need, and when? What happens if I don’t have my results?

 Airlines accept only RT-PCR tests. 

4. What if I have been vaccinated?

Even if you have been vaccinated for Covid-19, you still will need to show proof of a negative test.

5. What if I recently had Covid-19 and got better?

The requirement remain the same and you will still need to have your positive test result

6. What are the documents and forms requirements for travelling to India?

Note: No need to enter "Request Number" if you are applying for the 1st time.

• It is mandatory for all arriving passengers to submit a self-declaration form before boarding the flight. Exemption from institutional quarantine can also be sought using the same link  – https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airsuvidha/apho-registration IMP: The test must have been conducted within 72 hrs of boarding the flight.

• All passengers are advised to download the Arogya Setu app on their mobile devices.

• Travelers are required to show the online self-declaration to the airport health staff on arrival.

7. Who are allowed to travel to India 

Indian citizens and foreign nationals holding OCI and PIO can book flights to India for any purpose, except tourism. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced plans to restore all existing visas to India, barring tourist visas, with immediate effect. Reportedly, foreign nationals can apply for a medical visa and can travel to India for medical treatment/emergency only. Reportedly, foreign nationals can apply for a medical visa in special circumstances. 

IATA - International Travel Document News (iatatravelcentre.com)

8. Are there any airlines restrictions for various types of passport holders? 

US passport holders (with OCI and PIO) have a choice of Air India, United airlines, Lufthansa, British airways, Qatar & Emirates airlines. However Indian passport holders/Indian citizens can travel only on Air India, United Airlines, Emirates & Qatar airlines as per current updates. 

9. Are there any special quarantine restrictions for transiting through the UK, Europe and Middle East?

Passengers from UK, Europe and the Middle East  shall be mandatory subjected to self-paid confirmatory molecular tests on arrival at the Indian airports concerned.(port of entry). After the testing who are found to be negative shall be allowed to exit the airport and/or take their connecting flights and would be advised home quarantine for 7 days.

10. Are there any specific quarantine requirements of various states in India for domestic travel? 

Yes, There are Quarantine requirements of various state as per recent guidelines. 

They can be found here : quarantine_requirements_08-04-2021.pdf (civilaviation.gov.in)

For Travel to the USA

1. What are the latest updates on Covid test requirements on US bound flights and entering into the US?

All air passengers arriving to the US from a foreign country are required to show a negative result certificate to the airline before boarding the flight. Please read all the details at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

2. Who are allowed to travel to the USA?

Please use the link below to see the updated list of travelers that are allowed to travel to the US.

• Nationals of the USA
• Permanent residents of the USA
• Spouse of a national of the USA. They must have a marriage certificate.
• Parent/legal guardian of an unmarried and younger than 21 years national or permanent resident of the USA
• Unmarried and younger than 21 years old brother or sister of a national or permanent resident of the USA, who is unmarried and younger than 21 years
• Child/foster child/ward of a national or permanent resident of the USA
• Passengers with evidence of traveling at the invitation of the USA government for a purpose related to the containment/mitigation of the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Passengers with documents issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or U.S. Department of State indicating that the passenger is exempt from the restriction.

Note: These customers must still comply with U.S. COVID-19 testing requirements.

IATA - International Travel Document News (iatatravelcentre.com)

We are happy to answer any questions you have about our updated policies during the coronavirus pandemic.

For more details visit us at www.travelopod.com