The acting chief of state for emergency, crisis and disaster, Salem Al Zaabi, has confirmed that residents and citizens will only be able to travel out of the UAE under limited circumstances, according to local media reports.
Applications must be submitted via the Federal Identity and Citizenship Authority before they depart.
Each traveller also needs to obtain a permit.
Travel categories
People are permitted to travel if they are doing so for one of the following reasons:
- Medical treatment
- Students
- Business or work trips
- Humanitarian grounds; such as the death of a close family member
Back in the country
When it comes to travelling back to the UAE after the trip has concluded, citizens and residents already have to ensure a covid-19 test is done at two days prior to their flight.
They must also apply for an entry permit and get this approved before they book their tickets.
Prior to landing, they must complete a health declaration form and ensure the official Al Hosn coronavirus tracking app is loaded and activated on their mobile devices.
A covid-19 test must also be carried out once the citizen or resident returns to the UAE, after which they must self-quarantine for 14 days.
However, anyone returning from so-called “low-risk countries” only needs to quarantine for seven days.
It was not specified which countries would be classed as “low risk”, however this would likely depend on the respective infection level at the time of travel.
