Travelling to India from the UAE? You will need to fill out Air Suvidha health declaration form

Dubai: If you’re planning to travel to India soon, there is a new mandatory health declaration form that you need to fill out before your flight. On Thursday, June 25, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) launched AIR SUVIDHA 2.0, an upgraded contactless Passenger Health Self-Declaration Portal, to strengthen public health surveillance at Points of Entry in response to the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak. The launch follows the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 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 (PHEIC) on May 17. “The current outbreak has been confirmed as Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), and countries bordering DRC and Uganda — including South Sudan — have been assessed as high-risk for transmission,” a press release issued by the Indian Ministry stated. For international passengers arriving in India, the mandatory self-declaration form can be filled out online 24 hours prior to arrival in India, without the need for any physical forms. The self-declaration form covers 21-day travel history, exposure history and related symptoms, if any — prior to immigration clearance. The portal enables real-time data sharing with the Airport Health Officer, Bureau of Immigration, IDSP and State Surveillance Officers, with swift identification and referral of at-risk travellers – ensuring you don’t face any delays. How to fill out the form Visit https://airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in/ Enter your full name (as per your passport) and gender. Confirm if you have visited any of the following countries in the past 21 days: - DR Congo - Uganda - South Sudan - None of the above Select your nationality and enter your passport number. Enter your age and time of arrival, flight number and seat number. Next, enter the details of the cities and districts in India that you will visit during your stay. Then enter the port of entry in India, the port of boarding (the airport you are travelling from) and the date of boarding. If you have any stopovers in your journey, enter the details. Click on ‘continue’. On the next page, fill out your home address, email address and contact number in India. You will be sent a one-time password to confirm your number. If you enter a contact number that is not Indian, you will be sent the one-time password on your registered email. Once you have entered the OTP, click on ‘continue’. Review the details and check the boxes for giving your consent for data collection for health surveillance purposes as well as to confirm that all the details you have provided are accurate. Click on ‘Submit Self-declaration’. You will then receive an Air Suvidha registration number, which you can save. You will also receive a pdf acknowledgement of your self-declaration. You are required to either take a print-out of the pdf or a screenshot to show officials at the airport when required. What happens on arrival? Once you land in India, you will need to first go to the International Travel Health Desk at the airport for a thermal screening before immigration clearance. According to the Air Suvidha portal, health officers will stop passengers only if further examination is required. All others may proceed directly to Immigration.