As of November 2021, the country is letting in travellers from 99 countries around the world
By Sophie Dickinson November 19, 2021
Over the past six months, the world’s bucket-list travel destinations have been slowly reopening. Places like Bali and Vietnam have been open to international travellers for a little while now. Others, including the US and Australia, have finally started letting in foreign visitors. India is one of the latest to open up.
Travel to and from India has been suspended since the pandemic began when the country implemented a strict lockdown. In October, chartered flights began landing in the country, but most leisure travellers couldn’t visit until now.
However, as of November 2021, the country will allow fully vaccinated travellers from 99 countries, including the UAE and Qatar. India and the United Arab Emirates have an “air bubble agreement”. The Indian government will issue half a million tourist visas from now until March 2022.
It’s the first time travel has been allowed since March 2020. Social distancing is still mandatory, with fines in some states, and masks are required on public transport. As of things writing, about 27 per cent of the population is fully jabbed.
Note that each of the country’s 28 states is allowed to set different rules for international arrivals, so restrictions may vary depending on which airport you fly into.
Also: you’ll have to check that flights are running from your country, as some operators are yet to resume full service. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has strict guidelines on who can book a flight.