Effective September 27, the ban on direct flights from India to Canada has ended, and direct travel is now permitted. There are, however, some caveats and requirements, including:
- Travellers must obtain a pre-departure negative COVID-19 molecular test result from the Genestrings Laboratory (located at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi) on a test conducted within 18 hours before scheduled departure time. The test report will generate a QR code to be presented to the airline before boarding.
- Booking a COVID-19 test at Genestrings Laboratory can be done at https://www.newdelhiairport.in/covid19-rtpcr-test-appointment-booking.
- Travellers who previously tested positive for COVID-19 can present a positive molecular test result issued by a certified laboratory in India. Date of collection must have been between 14 and 180 days before scheduled departure.
Travellers who still travel to Canada from India via an indirect route, must provide negative COVID-19 molecular test results from a third country before their flight to Canada. (Travellers from India should also be aware of the COVID-19 related issues in the intermediary country as their rules may of course impact on the ability to enter, stay, or depart from, those countries.)
Travellers to Canada should also be aware of all other COVID-19 related travel requirements, including who is quarantine exempt, and the remaining possibility of the requirement for quarantine in the event of a positive COVID-19 test after arrival in Canada. Further information can be found at https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid. (And of course, all this is still in addition to the considerations of the purpose of travel, whether a work permit is needed, etc., as would exist even without the realities of COVID-19.)
The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.