Rules of Entry into the United Arab Emirates During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Due to the continuing rise in the number of cases of coronavirus COVID-19, regulators in the UAE have established additional rules that must be respected by foreign nationals entering this country.

• Each tourist must have a certificated PCR test with a negative result. The document must be received in the country of departure no earlier than 96 hours before the departure of the flight. The certificate must be printed on paper and issued by one of the clinics accredited by Ministry of Health (the list can be found on the agency's website). At the same time, the requirements of different airlines for the language in which the document should be executed differ. For example, FlyDubai only give permission to land if they have a certificate in English. Check the requirements directly with the air carrier.
• The passenger must have medical insurance that covers cases of infection with coronavirus. Entry to the United Arab Emirates is prohibited without an appropriate polis.
• Check-in for a flight is not made without the passenger having a “Declaration of Health”, which includes a separate note stating that the person entering does not have symptoms of COVID-19 infection. To avoid possible problems and inconveniences, it is worth printing out the “Declaration” form in advance.
• Before leaving, you need to install an application with a built-in secure tracking function on your smartphone. You can find it in Google Play and App Store by request “DXB Smart App”. Please note that the developer must indicate "Dubai Health Authority". The application is necessary to track infected contacts and promptly notify the user.
• A mandatory procedure is retesting for coronavirus immediately after arrival in the UAE. The test results will be received within 24 hours after the procedure; all this time the passenger must be in self-isolation at the place of stay or at the hotel specified in the "Declaration of health". The procedure is completely free. Upon receipt of positive test results, the tourist is placed in an observation hospital, and the cost of staying there must be covered by insurance. Otherwise, the costs will be collected by the citizen himself. Children under 12 years old, as well as passengers with an average or severe degree of disability are exempted from passing.
• During your stay in the Emirates, you must follow all the instructions of the local authorities related to the need to minimize the risk of infection. These include wearing personal protective equipment, keeping social distancing, and washing or antiseptic hands.

In the event that contact with an infected person has occurred already during his stay in the UAE, it is necessary to be tested in one of the licensed clinics. The cost of the procedure is about 180 AED (49 US $).

All regions of the country are open for entry, with the exception of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which accepts only its citizens, residents, and persons with a residence permit.