Attention expats; New rule to return home, application to be filled 24 hours before travel

DUBAI: The Civil Aviation Authority of India has launched a new portal for passengers arriving in the country. From now on, passengers, including expatriates, arriving in India will have to submit a mandatory health self-declaration- covering 21-day travel history, exposure history and related symptoms, if any-- prior to immigration clearance. The new move is following the spread of Ebola. The portal launched yesterday has been titled 'Air Suvidha 2.0'.

Passengers arriving from abroad must visit this portal and fill the application. Information such as 21-day travel information and whether there are any Ebola symptoms should be included in the form. This application should be filled and submitted before the trip to avoid delay in immigration clearance. The 'Air Suvidha 2.0' portal was jointly developed by the Indian Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Delhi International Airport Limited. 'Air Suvidha' portal, which was implemented during the Covid period and later discontinued, has been revised with more security features and has been transformed into 'Air Suvidha 2.0'.

What passengers need to do
Airsuvidha Self Declaration Form (SDF) can be completed 24 hours in advance before arrival to India. Passengers are requested to fill the forms before boarding of the flight, during web check-in for swift clearance on arrival and only required to show the downloaded SDF at the International Travel Health Desk or Immigration counter.

All International travellers are requested to complete their Self-Declaration accurately and in advance, in the interest of passenger safety and Public Health.

Once the application is filled online, save a digital copy of it on your phone. You can show it at the International Travel Health Desk or Immigration Counter at airports in India upon arrival. There is no need to fill the paper forms for this at airports.