Guidelines for tourists traveling to Dubai

Dubai is finally open for travelers to visit – more than three months after borders were first shut amid COVID-19 fears. Given the fact that a vaccine has not yet been developed, travelers will have to be prepared for stringent guidelines imposed by Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management.

Whether you’re a resident stranded abroad preparing to return home, a resident in or citizen of the emirate wanting to know when you can make your next trip abroad, or a foreigner curious about when you’ll be allowed to visit, this Pacific Prime Dubai article is for you. Aside from outlining the guidelines, the article will also give you tips on how to travel safely.

Residents and citizens

Dubai residents abroad will be allowed to return from June 22, 2020. For residents and citizens currently in Dubai, international travel (and return) can be undertaken from June 23, 2020. Depending on your status, here are a few things to consider:

Departing origin country airport – returning residents:

• Get approval to return from Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners’ Affairs through a direct link with the airline.
• Complete a health declaration form.

Departing a Dubai airport – residents and citizens:

• Check all entry rules of the destination country. If there are quarantine or COVID-19 testing measures in place, prepare to adhere to them.
• Complete a health declaration form and register on the COVID-19 DXB app at the airport in Dubai.
• Note that passengers who display COVID-19 symptoms may be denied boarding by airlines.
• Notify the nearest UAE embassy if you are a citizen abroad who is infected with COVID-19.

Arriving at a Dubai airport:

• Register on the COVID-19 DXB app if you haven’t already done so upon arrival at the airport.
• Have your temperature taken with thermal screening devices.
• Go through mandatory COVID-19 testing at the airport. Stay home until the test results come out.
• If you test positive, you’ll be instructed to go into quarantine for 14-days.
  • For residents living in high-density housing facilities, your employers must make arrangements for an isolation facility or bear the costs of one provided by the government.
  • If conditions of quarantine are in line with the official guidelines, you may be able to quarantine at home. If not, you will be required to isolate at a government facility.

Foreign tourists

Foreigners who do not have residency status in Dubai will be allowed to visit the emirate for tourism and other purposes from July 7, 2020.

Departing origin country airport.

• Fulfill the UAE visa requirements.
• Be in possession of a health insurance plan that provides coverage in Dubai. If not, see below under ‘Secure a health insurance plan’ for more details.
• Have a COVID-19 negative certificate that’s no more than 96 hours old. If not, see below.
• Complete a health declaration form.
• Note that passengers who display COVID-19 symptoms may be denied boarding by airlines.

Arriving at a Dubai airport:

• Register on the COVID-19 DXB app
• Have your temperature taken with thermal screening devices.
• Demonstrate a valid health insurance plan that provides coverage in Dubai.
• If you don’t have a valid COVID-19 negative certificate or if you start to show COVID-19 symptoms, go through the mandatory COVID-19 testing at the airport.
• If you test positive, face a 14-day quarantine and pay for all associated costs.

How passengers can travel safely

If you find yourself traveling in or out of Dubai in the near future, aside from the guidelines set out above, you’ll also want to know how you can travel safely and protect yourself.

Keep in mind non-COVID-19 regulations

Since everything travel-related seems to be about COVID-19 these days, it can be easy to forget there are a host of other things to keep in mind when traveling. As a foreigner, you have to make sure you’re on top of visa regulations.

Luckily, countries around the globe have taken a more lenient approach to visas and resident permits in light of COVID-19 border closures and flight cancellation. However, though there have been cases of automatic visa extension, it’s still your duty to keep up with the rules.

If you find yourself stuck in the UAE with an expired or canceled visa, there are a couple of options for you. You can also stay up to date with the latest information by reading our articles for expats and foreigners in the UAE.

Take precautionary measures

When it comes to protecting yourself in Dubai, it’s best to follow all precautionary measures authorities recommend such as wearing face masks, maintaining a 2-meter social distance, washing hands regularly, etc.

If you want to stay extra safe when flying during a pandemic, there are a few other things you can do. For example, using hand wipes to disinfect surfaces such as seat belts, bringing plastic zip bags for personal items that others might touch, etc.

Furthermore, those who are not already familiar with the healthcare system in Dubai should take this opportunity to do so. That’s because, if you do develop COVID-19 symptoms, the last thing you want to do is find out how to seek medical help.

Secure a health insurance plan

One of the requirements for foreign tourists coming to Dubai is to secure a health insurance plan that provides coverage in the emirate. Nevertheless, for stress-free travel, it’s always good to be insured.

Looking for a good health insurance plan can be tough – especially when you have to read the fine print to see if coverage during a pandemic is provided. Save yourself the hassle and go through a brokerage like Pacific Prime Dubai instead.

We work with exceptional Dubai health insurance companies. Using our online tool, you can easily and effortlessly compare quotes. Alternatively, if you would rather speak to an advisor, contact us today!

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Suphanida Thakral

Senior Content Creator at Pacific Prime Dubai

Suphanida is a Senior Content Creator at Pacific Prime, an award-winning global health insurance and employee benefits specialist.

With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.

Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.

Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.

Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.

Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.

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