Status of travel bans in different countries in the light of COVID-19 Pandemic  

(i)   https://www.civilaviation.gov.in/sites/default/files/Updation_of_

Guidelines.pdf – Ministry of Civil Aviation

(ii)  https://www.civilaviation.gov.in/sites/default/files/MHAOrder_Unlock4_

29082020.pdf – Ministry of Home Affairs 

(iii) https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/RevisedguidelinesforInternationalArrivals02082020.pdf – Ministry of Health

Flight restrictions shall not apply to all international cargo flights and those approved by DGCA.

Bhutan has an air travel bubble arrangement with India and please refer https://www.mfa.gov.bt/?p=8389  for further information.

Additional travel restrictions:

Travellers who obtain their Certificate of Entry (CoE) from 1 May 2021 onward will have to undergo no less than 14 days quarantine, regardless of their countries of origin or vaccination status. 

Travellers who have obtained their COE prior to 1 May 2021 and arrive before 6 May 2021 will have to undergo no less than 7, 10, 0r 14 days quarantine, depending on their vaccination status.

Travellers who have obtained their COE prior to 1 May 2021 and arrive in Thailand from 6 May 2021 onward will have to undergo no less than 14 days quarantine.

For those who have already obtained a COE, their quarantine period will be changed to 14 days automatically. The hotel in which they choose to undergo quarantine will contact them to revise their quarantine package before their arrival in Thailand.

1. Australia’s international border is still closed. There are strict border measures in place. There are, however, exemptions for the following:

• Permanent Residents and their dependents with valid visas (subclass 100, 309, 801, 820, 101, 102 and 445)
• Diplomats accredited to Australia.
• Students in the final two years of study of a medical, dental, nursing or allied health profession university degree with evidence of confirmed placement. 
• Spouses can visit their spouses already studying in Australia. They can apply for visa sub-class 600 (visitor visa). This visa is to visit Australia as a tourist, to see family and friends or for purposes other than business or medical treatment. They can stay up to 12 months. However, approval will be on a case-by-case basis.

2. Those who already have a visa have to apply for entry approval.
3. For those beyond the exempted category, entry into Australia can only be approved on compelling grounds. They must process a separate entry exemption with the Department of Home Affairs. Further, States have their own restrictions, and additional exemption must be processed from the respective State Government as well. 
4. Applications for exemptions from Department of Home Affairs must be submitted at least two weeks, but not more than two months before travel at the following link: https://travel-exemptions.homeaffairs.gov.au/tep 
5. Exemptions are only granted on compelling and compassionate grounds. 
6. From 22 January 2021, travelers are required to produce a Negative Covid-19 PCR test taken 72 hours before departure.
7. Travelers must also complete the mandatory Australian Travel Declaration form at least 72 hours before departure. It collects contact details in Australia, flight details, quarantine requirements and health status.
8. Travelers must also undertake mandatory 14 day quarantine at their own cost. 
9. Australian Government maintains an updated and reliable website on immigration related issues including travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. All information can be found at www.covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au  https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/travel-restrictions

Additional Travel restrictions 

All new travellers arriving from higher-risk countries and regions must serve a 21-day stay-home notice — up from 14 days — at a dedicated facility from 11.59pm on Friday (May 7). 

Higher-risk countries and regions refer to all countries or regions except Australia, Brunei, China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. 

Restrictions of travellers to/from different countries:

No incoming (as point of origin) or outgoing passengers are allowed to/from Countries under Group A. 

Travellers from Countries under Group B are permitted to travel to Dhaka. They will have to complete a mandatory 14 days institutional quarantine at government nominated hotels on passenger’s own expenses. Proof of Hotel Booking shall be produced during check-in and the Airlines representative shall verify it before issuing the boarding pass. There is no restriction on the outgoing travellers. Travellers under this group can have transit via the countries of Group A provided travellers remain confined within the airport under the close supervision

of the Airlines.  As an exception, incoming passengers originating from Kuwait and Qatar shall have to complete a mandatory 3 days institutional quarantine at government nominated facilities or at hotels on passengers own expenses. Airlines will confirm seats are available at the government institutional quarantine facilities or the passengers have the proof of hotel reservation for institutional quarantine. After 3 days of institutional quarantine, a medical test will be carried out and the passenger will be released to complete a total of 11 days home quarantine if the medical test is satisfactory. In case of unsatisfactory medical test result, the passenger shall have to go for isolation at government nominated facilities at own expenses or with the institutional quarantine.

Travellers from Countries under Group C (all other countries except Group – A & B) are allowed to/from these countries to Bangladesh. Incoming travellers from these countries of origin will have to complete 14 days of strict home quarantine. However, if any COVID-19 symptoms are detected/observed on arrival, he/she shall be sent to Government Authorized Hospital for further checkup or depending on the nature/intensity of the symptoms, will be sent to isolation at

government nominated facilities or Hotel at travellers own expenses. Travellers originating from these groups of countries (Group-C) can have transit via the countries of Group A&B provided that the travellers remain confined within the airport under the close supervision of the airlines. 

All incoming/outgoing travellers, except the children below 10 years old, shall mandatorily possess PCR based COVID-19 negative certificate. The PCR test shall be done within 72 hours of the flight departure time.      

Countries under different Groups are as specified in the attachment.

1) proof of a negative viral test for COVID-19 taken within three calendar days prior to boarding the initial flight to travel to the United States, or; 

2) evidence of a prior positive test and documentation from a healthcare provider of having recovered from COVID-19 within the preceding 90 days

The above applies to all air passengers, including U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs), two years and older arriving in the United States from any foreign country or jurisdiction.  Airlines and other aircraft operators must also collect attestations from passengers verifying testing or recovery from a prior exposure and keep them electronically for two years.  The CDC Order is w.e.f. 26 January, 2021.

With limited exceptions, air travellers will also be required to reserve, prior to departure to Canada, a 3-night stay in a government-authorized hotel. Travellers will be able to book their government-authorized stay starting February 18, 2021. These new measures are in addition to existing mandatory pre-boarding and health requirements for air travellers.

All travelers whether arriving by land or air will be required to submit their travel and contact information, including a suitable quarantine plan, electronically via ArriveCAN before crossing the border or boarding a flight.

2. Further, the limit of 35 passengers on each flight or 1000

passengers per day travelling to Kuwait International Airport ending on

February 6 has been extended till the end of February 2021.  

3. Impose one-week institutional quarantine on all arrivals to

Kuwait at their own expenses at a hotel as of 21 February 2021 and another week quarantine at home. 

Visitors spending more than 48 hours in Greater Male will have to take another PCR test and there will be health checks on arrival at the airport.      

2. Qatari nationals and Resident Permit holders are allowed to enter

3. Departure is allowed for all passengers

Besides, passengers arriving from Countries other than Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, South Africa, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Iran, Egypt and Singapore, will not be required to submit a negative PCR test result if they submit a document issued by the relevant country’s official authorities stating that they have been vaccinated at least 14 days before entrance to Turkey and/or have had the disease and cured within the last 6 months. Quarantine measures will not be applied for these passengers. If passengers departing from these countries cannot submit a vaccine certificate or the documents providing that they have had the disease according to the stated rules, submission of a PCR negative test result made maximum 72 hours before the entrance to Turkey or negative rapid antigen test result made maximum 48 hours before the entrance to Turkey will be deemed sufficient.

•         Inbound air traffic will operate at 20% of total current quantum.

•         Air travellers would have to undergo a negative RT-PCR Test before travel to Pakistan, which should not be more than 72 hours old.

•         Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) will be undertaken at the airports; negative cases will undergo ten days of self-quarantine at home and positive cases will be shifted to self-paid quarantine facilities for ten days. Second RT-PCR test for positive passengers will be conducted on the 8th day of quarantine.

•         All inbound travellers will be required to register on Passtrack App. (www.passtrack.nitb.gov.pk)

•         Following passengers shall be exempted from both RT-PCR testing and Passtrack App uploading requirement:

a.  Children below 12 years.

b.  Disabled passengers.

c.  High-level international delegations.

d.  Pakistani deportees

e.      Crew shall only be exempted from PakPass Track App; however, RT-PCR/Rapid Antigen Test shall be mandatory.

Therefore, travellers from Bhutan can travel to Germany if they have been doubly vaccinated with COVISHIELD. All categories of visa can be accepted in Thimphu, including business trip and tourism. The list of recognized vaccines can be consulted at https://www.pei.de/impfstoffe/cpvid-19

The said quarantine waiver is applicable to the following:

1. Only those Korean nationals who have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccination, and who wish to visit family members in Korea, can apply for a Quarantine Exemption Certificate online at https://consul.mofa.go.kr 

2. Foreigners, including Bhutanese nationals, who have received two doses of vaccination and who are visiting family members currently residing in Korea on long-term type visas can apply for the said certificate by following the same procedure. Once the exemption application is submitted online, the Korean Embassy in Bangladesh will check all the information provided and accordingly respond with either “Approved” or “Refused.” To qualify for this exemption, the following criteria and requirements are put in place:

* By family members, they entail one’s spouse, parents, and children. The waiver does not apply for those visiting brothers and sisters in Korea. 

* Family members should submit an ARC copy or a Korean Government issued certificate to prove their long-term stay. 

* The applicant should attach a passport copy along with the Application and family certificate to prove one’s relationship. Vaccine certificates and air tickets should also be submitted while applying for the exemption. Some of these documents can be accessed from the above website. 

* The applicant should carry a two-dose vaccination certificate of a Korean Government-approved vaccine (which also includes the AstraZeneca vaccine). While applying for the exemption, the applicant should have received the second dose at least two weeks earlier than the date of application.