Iraq Travel Guidelines
-
Last Updated : 27th December 2021 / As of now no new update till date
- Can Indian travel to the Iraq?
- NO but selectively open for certain Visa types
- Guidelines for International Arrivals to India
- This Standard Operating Procedure shall be valid w.e.f. 01st December (00.01 Hrs IST) till further orders. Based on the risk assessment, this document shall be reviewed from time to time.
- A.1. Planning for Travel
- i. All travelers should (i) submit self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) before the scheduled travel, including last 14 days travel details (ii) upload a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report or Vaccination Certificate. This RT-PCR test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey. Each passenger shall also submit a declaration with respect to authenticity of the report and will be liable for criminal prosecution, if found otherwise.
- ii. They should also give an undertaking on the portal or otherwise to Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India, through concerned airlines before they are allowed to undertake the journey that they would abide by the decision of the appropriate government authority to undergo home quarantine/ self-monitoring of their health for 14 days, or as warranted.
- iii. Arrival in India without negative report shall be allowed only for those traveling to India in the exigency of death in the family.
- iv. If they wish to seek such exemption under para (iii) above, they shall apply to the online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before boarding. The decision taken by the government as communicated on the online portal will be final.
- A.2. Before Boarding
- v. Passengers originating or transiting from at-risk countries shall be informed by the airlines that they will undergo post arrival testing, quarantine if tested negative, stringent isolation protocols if tested positive etc.
- vi. Do’s and Don'ts shall be provided along with ticket to the travelers by the airlines/agencies concerned.
- vii. Airlines to allow boarding only those passengers who have filled in the Self Declaration Form on the Air Suvidha portal and uploaded the negative RT-PCR test report or Vaccination Certificate
- viii. At the time of boarding the flight, only asymptomatic travelers will be allowed to board after thermal screening. viii. All passengers shall be advised to download Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices.
- ix. Suitable precautionary measures such as environmental sanitation and disinfection shall be ensured at the airports.
- x. During boarding all possible measures to ensure physical distancing are to be ensured.
- A.3. During Travel
- xi.Suitable announcement about COVID-19 including precautionary measures to be followed shall be made at airports and in flights and during transit.
- xii. While on board the flight, required precautions such as wearing of masks, environmental hygiene, respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene etc. are to be observed by airline staff, crew and all passengers.
- A.4. On arrival
- xiii. De-boarding should be done ensuring physical distancing.
- xiv. Thermal screening would be carried out in respect of all the passengers by the health officials present at the airport. The self-declaration form filled online shall be shown to the airport health staff.
- xv. The passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to medical facility as per health protocol.
- Travellers from specified Countries at risk will follow the protocol as detailed below:
- Submission of sample for post-arrival COVID-19 test
- at the point of arrival (self-paid). Such travellers will be required to wait for their test results at the arrival airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight.
- If tested negative they will follow, home quarantine for 7 days. Re-test on the 8th day of arrival in India
- and if negative, further self-monitor of their health for next 7 days.
- However, if such travellers are tested positive, their samples should be sent for genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network.
- They shall be managed at separate isolation facility and treated as per laid down standard protocol including contact tracing mentioned in para (xiv).
- The contacts of such positive case should be kept under institutional quarantine or at home quarantine monitored strictly by the concerned State Government as per laid down protocol
- xvii. Travellers from Countries excluding those Countries at risk, will be allowed to leave the airport and shall self-monitor their health for 14 days’ post arrival. A sub-section (5% of the total flight passengers) shall undergo post-arrival testing at random at the airport on arrival. a. The 5% of such travellers in each flight shall be identified by the concerned airlines (preferably from different countries). b. Such travellers shall be escorted by the concerned airlines/MoCA to testing area on arrival. c. The cost of testing of such travellers shall be borne by MoCA. d.Laboratories shall prioritize testing of samples from such travellers. e. If such travellers are tested positive, they shall be managed as per laid down standard protocol and samples would further send for genomic testing.
- xviii. If travellers under home quarantine or self-health monitoring, develop signs and symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 or test positive for COVID-19 on re-testing, they will immediately selfisolate and report to their nearest health facility or call National helpline number (1075)/ State Helpline Number
- International travelers arriving at seaports/land portsg
- xix. International travellers arriving through seaports/land ports will also have to undergo the same protocol as above, except that facility for online registration is not available for such passengers currently.
- xx. Such travellers shall submit the self-declaration form to the concerned authorities of Government of India at seaports/land ports on arrival.
- xxi. * Children under 5 years of age are exempted from both pre- and post-arrival testing. However, if found symptomatic for COVID-19 on arrival or during home quarantine period, they shall undergo testing and treated as per laid down protocol. # Contacts of the suspect case are the co-passengers seated in the same row, 3 rows in front and 3 rows behind along with identified Cabin Crew. Also, all the community contacts of those travellers who have tested positive (during home quarantine period) would be subjected to quarantine for 14 days and tested as per ICMR protocol
- The restrictions imposed by the Government of India guidelines dated 28t' November, 2021 as well as future restrictions if any, shall act as minimum restrictions to be imposed.
- DCP immigration and FRRO to draft a proforma of declaration for all arriving passengers on international flights to declare details of the countries visited in last 15 days. MIAL to share the proformas with all airlines and the information regarding travel in the last 15 days shall be cross checked by immigration on arrival.
- The international passengers arriving from At Risk countries (declared by GOI front time to time) may be deplaned on priority and separate counters will be arranged by MIAL and Airport Authority for their checking. Such all passengers shall have to undergo mandatory 7 day institutional quarantine and RTPCR test to be carried out on days 2, 4 and 7 for these passengers. If any of the test is found to be positive, then the passenger shall be shifted to a hospital. In case of all tests coming negative. the passenger will have to undergo a further 7 days of home quarantine.
- Passengers from any other countries except the at risk countries will have to compulsorily undergo RTPCR test at the airport on arrival valid on being found negative, will have to undergo 14 days of home quarantine. If found positive, they will be shifted to the hospital.
- In case of an international passenger having a connecting flight to any other airport in India (without leaving the airport at all), passenger shall undergo a RTPCR test at the first arrival airport in Maharashtra and only on being found negative will he be allowed to board the connecting flight.
- In the case of domestic air travel, passengers travelling within the state will either ha e to be fully vaccinated or compulsorily carry a RTPCR test within 48 hours of the time of arrival.
- In case of passengers from other States, negative RTPCR test within 48 hours of arrival will be compulsory without exceptions.
- Eligibilty
- From India to Iraq
- i. Nationals/residents of Iraq;
- ii. Any Indian national or national of Nepal or Bhutan destined for Iraq and holding a valid visa for Iraq. It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian / Nepalese /Bhutanese nationals to enter Iraq with the particular visa category before issue of ticket / boarding pass to the Indian/Nepalese/Bhutanese passenger.
- From Iraq to India
- i. Indian nationals or nationals of Nepal or Bhutan stranded in Iraq;
- ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders holding passports of any country; and
- iii. All Iraqi nationals (including diplomats) intending to visit India for any purpose
- Passenger Obligation
- Some regions inside Iraq are still under curfew. Click here for all the latest coronavirus related updates issues by Iraqi government.
- Taxis and private mini vans are running in most places but a lot of public transport in Iraq is currently non-operational.
- Quarantine Protocol
- Mandatory quarantine duration for Indians: A negative Covid-19 test (PCR and/ or serology) completed <72 hours before departure, is required to enter Iraq.
- Mandatory Quarantine & Testing Rules
- All Iranian citizens (over 12 years old), regardless of their vaccination status, are required to hold a medical certificate with a negative COVID 19 RT PCR test result. The test must have been taken at most 72 hours from the first embarkation point. The certificate must be in English, otherwise it must be certified by an embassy or consulate of the IR of Iran.
- A negative Covid-19 test (PCR and/ or serology) completed <72 hours before departure, is required to enter Iraq.
- Thermal screenings are being done at the port of entry as well to identify symptomatic patients.