Keyser

had you applied for exemption from institutional quarantine online????it seemed like that was where all the confusion was....they seemed surprised that i already had exemption as the procedure at the airport was that i had to apply for exemption there & they would decide on the spot....

i took a shower as soon as i got home from the airport....the stamp remained the same....the next morning the whole area was covered with a rash....its now day 3 & i changed my bandage this morning....the stamp is still very clearly visible....

oliver2002

I suppose its time for me to apply vaseline on my hand in preparation for the next few days Is it on the left hand? Are they using the ink normally applied to your finger after voting?

TravellingMan

They rejected my online exemption request as I did not have the results 72 hrs before the flight and the testing confirmation was not officious looking. But half the flight (LH FRA-DEL) had the online exemption and were out by the time I showed up at the "doctors desk" with my COVID results and got the waiver in person. A passenger sitting a row ahead was in the domestic lounge 30 mins before I showed up as he had online waiver.

The key to making the rubber stamp go away is just apply a bit of oil/Vaseline before you wash it away.

The ink is nothing special. It is just the standard ink from a pad. Not the type used in elections. You can select which hand you want it on (usually inside wrist).

Keyser

seems like a lot has changed over the last 3 weeks....i definitely did not have as smooth a process as you & your fellow passengers did....this being india, i wouldn't be surprised by different experiences on different days....they just insisted i had to apply for exemption on the spot....

will try that next time....

the ink is definitely not the one used in elections but is also not the standard ink from a pad....standard ink goes away with a wash or two....this one is different....

xobile

I wasn't referring to flights to UAE, I was referring to flights from UAE, which do not take into consideration anyone other then Indian or UAE nationals, or UAE passport holders who also have an OCI (of which there are likely very very few, like Yusaf Ali perhaps). Eg my brother is a US citizen and OCI who lives in the UAE. According to the rules, if he wants to go to India, he'd need to fly back to the US first, then he would need fly on a flight directly from US to India. It's asinine. If they are OCIs of any country they should be allowed to originate from anywhere there is an air bubble agreement.

TravellingMan

Maybe the ink changed too. When I went past the final stage just outside baggage claim, I was surprised how organized and orderly it was.

Thinking of repeating the trip again in December. US-DEL-US on AI is coming to $750 from ORD/SFO/NYC compared to others who are $1800+. I could pay the difference towards upgrade to business for social distancing.

Update: it does sell me the ticket for $750 from ORD in peak winter travel. Will give it a try.

Keyser

i have another trip towards the end of october so hopefully things will improve by then & the airport experience would be more organized....

TravellingMan

Please share your experiences. Yours and metalblaze reports helped plan my trip. In fact a trip to Tanzania in July this year was also possible only due to this site. Thanks to all.

PiperAtGatesofDawn

If a US citizen is only allowed to travel to India from USA and likewise a Canadian citizen from Canada and a UAE citizen from UAE... why should the rule be different for a OCI?

TravellingMan

Should your brother not qualify as a resident of UAE and take the flight out of there rather than being a US citizen? All these rules are dependent on how the airline interprets it and issues you a boarding pass.

xobile

Here is the exact quote from the MOCA website about who is allowed under the air bubble to travel from the UAE. There is no allowance for people who are residents of UAE but not Indian or UAE nationals (the latter who can travel under an OCI card or if allowed under certain categories of visas (e.g. student in India, medical research, et al).B. From UAE to India:

i. Stranded Indian nationals;

ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding UAE passports; and

iii. UAE nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dated 30.06.2020 as amended from time to time.

xobile

I think you are misunderstanding the point. If an air bubble is supposed to be between two 'safe' countries (that definition being very loose in regards to the case numbers in India and US, for one), then it shouldn't matter what the citizenship of the people getting on the flight is. But since you mentioned it, let us go over the conflicting and contrasting guidelines per country.


From the UAE--only Indian nationals and UAE nationals (with OCI or specific visas) are allowed to fly to India

.From UAE to India:

i. Stranded Indian nationals;

ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding UAE passports; and

iii. UAE nationals (including diplomats) holding valid visa issued by an Indian Mission in any category covered under Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dated 30.06.2020 as amended from time to time.


From Canada, it explicity does not mention only Canadians/Americans are allowed--all foreigners are allowed if they have a valid visa--but not all OCI holders, only Canadians

B. From Canada to India

i. Stranded Indian nationals;

ii. All Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders holding Canadian passports; and

iii. Foreigners (including diplomats), who are eligible to enter India as per Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines dated 30.06.2020 as amended from time to time.


Note in part 3 in each place where it mentions UAE nationals, while from Canada it allows all nationals who happen to be in Canada at the moment and have a valid visa to enter India. The exact same wording is there for the US bubble flights by the way, as well as Japan, Germany, and UK--all foreigners are allowed, but OCI holders "should" depart from their country of citizenship. There isn't really any valid reasons for this, especially if one lives and works in a third country, like the UAE that's outside your main citizenship. If the concept of a bubble is that only people originating from the airport of that country should be going directly to India, there should be a specific restriction on the citizenship of who can go, as long as they have valid documents.

TravellingMan

What does EK/EY have to say about selling a ticket to your brother?

PiperAtGatesofDawn

That issue may or may not be related to India's policies. However since most of the other bubbles allow "foreigners" to travel here's what I know (1) and suspect (2) - since nobody ever consults me on these matters unfortunately.

1. The definition of foreigners relates to OCIs with very specific cases like children traveling with citizen parents and or family emergencies in India. It was not that just any OCI could travel from Canada etc.
2. That rule might have been there because of the host country vs. India - since the foreigner clause has been applied very selectively. For instance in UAE's case the different emirates have had different travel rules - eg: DXB opened up earlier vs. AUH etc. That rule might have been more relevant then but not been updated. So it may have more to do with the host nation rather than India. While very possible for GoI, I think it would be very weird for them to seek more liberal travel bubble arrangements for Afghanistan vs. UAE. This is all my conjecture of course and someone in the know could correct this.

xobile

They told me they can't sell me a transit flight through the UAE (6th freedom) to India due to prohibitions placed by the Indian government. It's not a UAE issue, if I wanted to fly to Pakistan or Malaysia, that's fine, no issues with transiting. India seems to be taking advantage of this situation to try to force people on to Air Indi tbh.

For my brother in the UAE, they said they can sell me a ticket (since the origin is in the UAE) but ensuring I'm eligible to travel to India is up to the passenger, to see if they qualify through whatever the rules are at that time, such as an exception for foreigners based on marriage to an Indian national for instance.