Mandatory 10-day quarantine, RT-PCR test for travel from UK to India. The new travel guidelines will come into effect from October 4

All passengers from UK to India, irrespective of their vaccination status, now have to carry negative RT-PCR report and stay in mandatory quarantine for 10 days after arrival in India. This comes after the UK revised its international travel norms, making quarantine and negative Covid-19 test mandatory for travellers from India.

The new travel guidelines will come into effect from October 4 and will be applicable to all UK nationals arriving from the UK.

WHAT DOES THE NEW GUIDELINE SAY?

From October 4, all UK nationals arriving in India from the UK, irrespective of their vaccination status, will have to undertake the following measures:

Pre-departure Covid-19 RT-PRC test within 72 hours before travel

Covid-19 RT-PCR test on arrival at airport

Covid-19 RT-PCR test on Day 8 after arrival

Mandatory quarantine at home or in the destination address for 10 days after arrival in India

The home ministry and civil aviation ministry will be taking steps to implement the new measures.

WHAT IS THE TRAVEL ROW ABOUT?

The United Kingdom announced changes in its travel and quarantine rules in last week of September. The UK’s fresh international travel norms essentially considered fully vaccinated Indians as “unvaccinated” and made it mandatory for them to quarantine for 10 days on arrival in the country.

India was left out of the 18 countries on an approved vaccinations list, requiring Indians to follow rules set out for "non-vaccinated" travellers.

What this means is that despite Covishield now being recognised within the UK’s eligible vaccine formulations, it would not offer any advantage to Covishield-vaccinated Indian travellers planning a UK visit.

Travellers who are not fully vaccinated, or vaccinated in a country such as India currently not on the UK government’s recognised list, must take a pre-departure test. After arrival in the UK, they will need to self-isolate for 10 days.