New rule for UAE-India travellers: Fill a mandatory health declaration form before boarding

Dubai: If you are flying from the UAE to India, there is a new step you need to add to your pre-departure checklist: filling out a mandatory online health declaration form before you board.

India has relaunched its Air Suvidha portal — now upgraded to version 2.0 — requiring all international passengers arriving in the country to submit a digital health form ahead of their flight.

The move comes in direct response to the World Health Organisation's declaration of the Ebola/Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, 2026, the government announced on Thursday.

What you need to do

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) jointly launched Air Suvidha 2.0 on Thursday, developed in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The form — called a Self-Declaration Form (SDF) — can be completed up to 24 hours before your arrival in India.

Passengers are strongly advised to fill it out before boarding or during web check-in. On arrival, you will only need to show the downloaded form at the International Travel Health Desk or immigration counter, with no physical paperwork to fill out on landing.

The declaration covers your 21-day travel history, any exposure to the Ebola virus, and related symptoms, if any.

The Ebola Disease Surveillance portal can be accessed at airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in

Why it matters

The upgraded portal enables real-time data sharing between the Airport Health Officer, the Bureau of Immigration, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), and state surveillance officers, allowing health authorities to quickly identify and refer travellers who may be at risk, while keeping the airport experience fully contactless and paperless.

The WHO has assessed countries bordering the DRC and Uganda, including South Sudan, as high-risk for transmission of the Bundibugyo virus disease, the confirmed strain in the current outbreak.

India's health and aviation ministries say the launch is part of a broader effort to strengthen public health surveillance at all points of entry across the country.

Fill before you fly

The Indian government has urged all international travellers to complete their self-declaration accurately and in advance, in the interest of both passenger safety and wider public health. Failure to do so could mean delays at immigration on arrival.

Covid-era roots

For millions of UAE residents who travelled to India through the COVID-19 pandemic years, the Air Suvidha form will bring back a familiar, if unwelcome, memory.

India's government originally introduced the Air Suvidha portal during the pandemic as a way to track inbound international travellers, requiring them to register PCR test results, vaccination status, and other health details before arrival.

The form became a standard part of the pre-travel routine for the UAE's large Indian expat community through much of the pandemic.

In November 2022, the government scrapped the requirement after a significant improvement in the COVID-19 situation and rising vaccination rates across the country.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said at the time that the decision reflected the country's improved public health position, and the form quietly faded from travellers' checklists.

Now, with a new global health emergency declared, it is back and this time in a fully upgraded version.