Dubai International Airport, Terminal 3, Dubai Airport
File photo: Passengers at Dubai International Airport, Terminal 3. Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: UAE citizens and residents are now permitted to travel abroad according to the effective precautionary measures in the UAE airports and fulfilling the requirements of destination countries, the Emirates News Agency reported on Friday.

Citizens and residents can now travel to the countries where the national carriers are operating flights to provided they adhere to precautionary measures specified by the competent health authorities in the state when returning.

In a joint statement, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) said that UAE citizens and residents will now be able to travel to destinations where the national carriers are operating flights to according to a classification adopted based on a methodology followed in distributing countries based on several health criteria.

The statement made it clear that the health protocols of travel will be applied in the country's airports under the current conditions, which depends on a number of major factors, such as public health, required checks from destination countries and upon return, as well as quarantine, and self-monitoring of the health of the passenger, in addition to being fully aware of precautions.

According to the statement, there are some compulsory requirements that must be adhered to by citizens and residents before departure and upon returning from abroad including: 

• Registering with Twajudi service to facilitate communication with them during travel. (For Emiratis only).

• Conducting a COVID-19 test before travel, depending on the health regulations in the desired destination, which may require a recent result not exceeding 48 hours from the date of travel.

• The test result should be presented to the concerned authorities at the country's airports via Al Hosn application and through whatever proves that the passenger is free of the virus

• Travel will only be permitted if the result of the passenger’s test is negative and if he/she has international health insurance that is valid throughout the period of travel, and covers the desired destination.

The statement also stressed that the return of residents also requires no violation or conflict with the declared procedures and requirements that regulate all issues and requirements of return, the most important of which is the pre-examination in the countries where laboratories are available.

People over the age of seventy years and those with chronic diseases were advised not to travel to preserve their safety.