After being shut for 20 months because of the COVID-19, India's borders have just reopened for quarantine-free travel to fully vaccinated foreigners from 99 countries.
In updated guidelines released last week, India laid out a list of 'Category A' countries, which either:
a) Have agreements with the Indian government for reciprocal recognition of their vaccination certificates for travelers immunized with nationally or WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines, or;
b) Haven't established such agreements, but allow fully vaccinated Indians to bypass their travel restrictions
Vaccinated travelers entering India from any of these countries on its Category A list are permitted to bypass post-arrival COVID-19 tests and a minimum seven-day quarantine requirement, being instructed only to monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days following their arrival.
Travelers coming from Category A countries will be allowed to bypass quarantine as long as they're fully vaccinated, even if the country from which they're originating has been designated "at-risk"
Unvaccinated travelers coming from Category A countries remain subject to additional requirements upon arrival in India, including a post-arrival test, seven days' mandatory quarantine, another test taken on their eighth day and (if the second test is negative) self-monitoring for symptoms for a further seven days.
Some of the world's major economies made it onto the Category A list, including the United States, United Kingdom (U.K.), Germany, France, Singapore, Australia and Brazil.
Of the 99 Category A countries, some-including European nations, plus the U.K., Bangladesh, Singapore and Brazil-are concurrently listed as "at-risk", so that any unvaccinated travelers originating there must abide by additional entry requirements.
Travelers who may be coming from countries that aren't covered under Category A, but also aren't specifically listed as "at-risk", will be allowed to enter India without quarantining and merely monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status.
A CNBC report noted that certain nearby countries were conspicuously absent from the Category A list, including China, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia. China does, however, appear on India's list of "at-risk" countries, along with South Africa and New Zealand, neither of which made it into the Category A club.
A pre-travel negative PCR test is also still required in order for international travelers to board a flight to India, regardless of origin or vaccination status.
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