Abu Dhabi Lifts Quarantine for All U.S. Travelers
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American travelers — both vaccinated and unvaccinated — can visit Abu Dhabi without being required to quarantine, the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism shared with Travel + Leisure this week.
As the United States is included on the UAE capital's green list, American travelers will need to test for COVID-19 before and during their trip instead of isolating upon arrival. All travelers are required to take a negative PCR test 48 hours maximum before departure and take a PCR test upon arrival. Vaccinated travelers will have to take another test on day 6 of their trip while unvaccinated travelers will have to take a test on day 6 and 9. The testing will take place at a traveler's hotel.
Previously, unvaccinated travelers were required to quarantine for 10 days.
Children under 12 are exempt from testing.
The easing of restrictions comes as the United Arab Emirates has administered enough doses of COVID-19 vaccines to have vaccinated about 93.6% of its population, assuming every person requires two doses, according to Reuters, which is tracking vaccine progress around the world.
"Abu Dhabi has implemented world-class COVID-19 safety procedures and an accelerated vaccination program, which has seen a 90 percent vaccination rate in the UAE capital. These precautionary measures have enabled us to protect our citizens, residents and visitors," Saood Al Hosani, the undersecretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said in a statement provided to T+L. "We look forward to welcoming back international travelers from around the world, to experience the wide and unique offerings our beautiful emirate has to offer."
Vaccinated travelers will have to register their international vaccine records five days before their arrival on the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) app or online. The records will then be synced to the emirate's Alhosn app, which can be used as a "Green Pass" to access many public spaces and attractions like restaurants and museums, according to the government.
The new protocols will put Abu Dhabi more in line with Dubai, which requires international tourists to test negative for coronavirus but does not have a mandatory quarantine period.
UAE airlines Etihad Airways and Emirates have also each signed up to participate in the health passport developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which generates a QR code to share relevant testing information with authorities.
Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
