COVID Travel Restrictions: These Countries Are Allowing Indian Travellers; Here Are All Details

The world is finally opening up as COVID cases are dropping and the situation seems to be improving by the day. While many countries still haven't opened doors for Indian travellers, some of the nations have stepped up and eased the restrictions for India.

However, countries that had recently relaxed tourist visa rules for Indians including the Maldives, Nepal and the UAE, have put a ban again on Indian holidaymakers for the time-being. Below is a list of countries allowing travellers from India as of yet, with certain conditions.

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1. Maldives

Flight operations to Maldives, one of the most preferred tourist destinations in the world, is about to begin next week from July 15. If you¡¯re planning to fly from India, then please note that Go First, which was GoAir before, will be operating flights from Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai to Mal¨¦ from July 15th onwards.

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The flight will be available twice a week on every Thursdays and Sundays. Subsequently, from August 4, more flights will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays. And if everything goes well, then from September 3 onwards, the flights between the two countries will start functioning on a daily basis.

2. Canada

From next week, Indians will be allowed to enter Canada by taking connecting flights as direct flights remain prohibited till July 21. The Indian travellers will have to produce a negative Covid-19 test result taken at the final point of departure to Canada.

"Fully vaccinated travellers allowed to enter Canada may be exempted from federal quarantine and day 8 testing starting July 5. Only vaccines approved by the Government of Canada will be accepted," Public Health Agency of Canada tweeted last week.

Canada has so far approved the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Astra Zeneca/Covishield, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. However, Canada has not approved Covaxin from Bharat Biotech and Sputnik V from the Russian Gamaleya Center.

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Restrictions will remain in place for those not fully vaccinated or vaccinated with a jab not authorised in Canada. Such travellers will have to complete the three-day quarantine at a hotel while awaiting results of their tests, submit to a second test on day eight of their arrival and complete the full 14-day period of self-isolation.

However, fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to skip the mandatory three-day institutional isolation in Canada. Vaccination status will have to be uploaded on the Canadian government¡¯s ArriveCan app before reaching Canada.

Canada eased travel restrictions will be for permanent residents, international students and temporary workers with a valid work permit.

3. Germany

In the case of Germany, the country's health agency Robert Koch Institute has lifted its ban on travellers from five countries hit by the Delta strain COVID-19, including India, UK, Russia, Nepal, and Portugal.

? Eric Danhier / visitbrussels.be

Germany reclassified India under the "high-incidence areas" from "virus variant countries". The change eases a ban on entry for travellers who are not German residents or citizens. Germany had introduced "virus variant country" travel category to prevent the entry of the Delta coronavirus variant.

4. South Korea

In South Korea, Indian travellers don't need to quarantine themselves for two weeks if they have received both doses of the Covishield vaccine. However, those who have received Covaxin would need to quarantine themselves for two weeks as the Bharat Biotech vaccine is yet to get the World Health Organisation (WHO) approval.

5. Russia

Russia is among one of the few countries that is allowing Indians to arrive at tourist visas but with fewer flights operating at present, the outbound traffic isn't worth writing home about. Also, promises of 'vaccine holidays' are turning out to be false, because Russian authorities have confirmed to India Today Television that the country isn't inoculating tourists.

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6. Turkey

Turkey is welcoming Indian tourists but it mandates 14-days quarantine upon landing. Travelers will have to undergo an RT-PCR test on the fourteenth day and only on testing negative, will they be allowed to leave the quarantine facility.

7. Egypt

Egypt is a destination open to Indian tourists too, but all those arriving in the country will have to take a rapid DNA test upon arrival. If found positive, travelers will either be asked to return to their point of departure or will be isolated for at least 14 days.

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8. Switzerland

In a statement issued by the Swiss government, entry from a country with a ¡°variant of the virus of concern¡° will also be allowed with certain conditions, which includes countries in the ¡°high-risk¡± category like India, reported India Today.

¡°Persons who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from the disease will be permitted to enter Switzerland from these countries or regions without having to be tested or to quarantine as long as it is certain that the vaccination offers good protection. Those who have neither been vaccinated nor have recovered must present a negative PCR test or rapid antigen test and go into quarantine on entry,¡± the Swiss government's statement said.

9. South Africa

South Africa hasn't imposed any travel restriction on Indian tourists since the beginning of the pandemic but flight options remain limited as do ports of entry. South Africa is currently under Level 1 curfew, which amounts to travelling under restrictions, possibly not amenable to holidaymakers.

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The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in India brought a host of flight bans to foreign countries. These include preferred holiday destinations such as the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Thailand and Sri Lanka among others.