Air Suvidha form scrapped for international arrivals

Passengers are no longer required to be vaccinated

International passengers arriving in India, including the ones departing from the UAE, will no longer need to fill out the Air Suvidha form, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said yesterday. The new rules come into effect today.

The new guidelines for international arrivals, issued by the Ministry yesterday, also said passengers are no longer required to be mandatorily vaccinated, though it remains preferable.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said, in its review of guidelines for domestic and international flight operations, that the decision was made after a substantial improvement in the Covid-19 situation and increased vaccination rates in the country.

However, during travel, inflight announcements about the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic shall be made on flights and travel and at all points of entry. Any passenger having symptoms of Covid-19 during travel shall be isolated as per standard protocol.

The announcement comes as a massive relief for international passengers travelling to India. The government of India introduced the Air Suvidha form to register details of inbound travellers, including PCR test results and vaccination details, amid the pandemic.