Fully vaccinated international travellers coming from a country that mutually accepts India’s WHO approved COVID-19 vaccines in a reciprocal arrangement can check out of the airport and need not undergo home quarantine and testing from October 25, according to the revised guidelines for international arrivals released Wednesday. However, it will be mandatory to submit a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report.

If partially or not vaccinated, travellers must take steps such as submitting a sample for a post-arrival COVID-19 test, after which they will be allowed to leave the airport, quarantine at home for seven days, re-test on the eighth day of arrival in India, and self-monitor their health for the next seven days if negative.

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“These guidelines for international arrivals supersede of all guidelines issued on the subject on and after February 17, 2021,” the Union health ministry said.

“The global trajectory of COVID-19 pandemic continues to decline with certain regional variations. The need to monitor the continuously changing nature of virus and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) must still remain in focus. The existing guidelines (issued on 17th February 2021 with subsequent addendums) for international arrivals in India have been formulated taking a risk-based approach.”

“In view increasing vaccination coverage across the globe and the changing nature of the pandemic, the existing guidelines for international arrivals in India have been reviewed,” the ministry said.

The new document lays out rules for foreign travellers as well as airlines and points of entry (airports, seaports, and land borders) to follow when risk profiling of individuals. 

“This Standard Operating Procedure shall be valid from October 25 till further orders. Based on the risk assessment, this document shall be reviewed from time to time,” the ministry said.

India has signed agreements for mutual recognition of nationally or WHO recognised COVID-19 vaccines with 11 countries – the UK, France, Germany, Nepal, Belarus, Lebanon, Armenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia.