Any incoming visitor inoculated with a WHO-approved Covid-19 jab will be able to skip mandatory quarantine.
The domes of Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. (Photo: Dovi/Unsplash)
Globetrotters dreaming of a romantic desert getaway in the UAE’s largest emirate — or a visit to the eye-opening Louvre Abu Dhabi — have some good news to look forward to this weekend. Starting on Sunday (September 5), Abu Dhabi will lift all quarantine procedures for Covid-vaccinated travelers from around the world, regardless of their point of origin, so long as they have received any of the six vaccines approved by the WHO. (These include coronavirus jabs developed by AstraZeneca/Oxford, Johnson and Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.)
Aside from being cleared of Covid-19 through a PCR test within 48 hours of departure, visitors must have their vaccination certificate validated by Abu Dhabi authorities ahead of the trip. Five days before departure, travelers should complete the Register Arrivals Form on the ica.gov.ae website and attach their vaccination records for approval. The same process can also be done via the Federal Authority of Identity and Citizenship (ICA UAE Smart) app.
An SMS will confirm approval of the registration form and vaccination certificates, and will also include a link to download the Alhosn contact-tracing app, which allows users to show test results and vaccination status before entering public places in Abu Dhabi (only open to vaccinated individuals).
Also read: The Allure of Abu Dhabi
Upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, travelers will receive a Unified ID number from airport immigration or via the ICA UAE Smart app or ica.gov.ae website; this is required to complete the registration on the Alhosn app. A PCR test is required at Abu Dhabi International Airport for all incoming travelers, except for children under 12 years of age and individuals with official exemptions. The result will be received within 90 minutes, and visitors can wait in their booked accommodation in the meantime. If the result is negative, Alhosn will automatically show ‘green’ status.
Abu Dhabi’s health authorities keep a continuously updated Green List of low-risk countries, and travelers coming in from those jurisdictions will only need to take another PCR test on day 6 (counting the day of arrival as day 1) at their hotel. Visitors from non-Green List countries must also undergo additional PCR tests on day 4 and day 8.
Here is the full lineup of Green List countries according to Abu Dhabi officials:
| Region | Country/Territory |
| Asia-Pacific | Australia |
| Bhutan | |
| Brunei | |
| China | |
| Hong Kong | |
| Japan | |
| Maldives | |
| New Zealand | |
| Singapore | |
| South Korea | |
| Taiwan | |
| Central Asia | Kyrgyzstan |
| Tajikistan | |
| Turkmenistan | |
| Europe | Albania |
| Armenia | |
| Austria | |
| Belgium | |
| Bulgaria | |
| Croatia | |
| Cyprus | |
| Czech Republic | |
| Denmark | |
| Finland | |
| Germany | |
| Greece | |
| Hungary | |
| Italy | |
| Luxembourg | |
| Malta | |
| Moldova | |
| Monaco | |
| Netherlands | |
| Norway | |
| Poland | |
| Portugal | |
| Ireland | |
| Romania | |
| San Marino | |
| Serbia | |
| Slovakia | |
| Slovenia | |
| Sweden | |
| Switzerland | |
| Ukraine | |
| Middle East and North Africa | Bahrain |
| Jordan | |
| Kuwait | |
| Oman | |
| Qatar | |
| Saudi Arabia | |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Comoros |
| Mauritius | |
| Seychelles | |
| North America | Canada |
More information here.
