Abu Dhabi has announced that it will remove all Covid-19 quarantine restrictions for international travellers on July 1, with the exception of visitors from India.
"Abu Dhabi will be open for everyone with no quarantine protocol," Ali Al Shaiba, executive director of tourism and marketing at the emirate's Department of Culture and Tourism, told The National.
The emirate will introduce different testing protocols for visitors from low-risk and high-risk countries. Those arriving from countries with higher infection rates will have to undergo two tests – one before they travel and another upon arrival, while those from lower-risk countries will only have to take one test.
Until then, the emirate will continue to expand its green list, which currently allows quarantine-free travel for passengers from 23 countries around the world. A few more countries will be added to the list this week, Al Shaiba revealed.
The UAE has also established travel corridors with four countries in May, which means that vaccinated travellers flying between the UAE and Serbia, Greece, Bahrain and Seychelles do not need to quarantine.
The Abu Dhabi Green List was last updated on June 13, with Malta added and the UK and Tajikistan removed.
Travellers flying to the UAE from countries on the list do not need to self-isolate. Anyone visiting from a country not on the Green List must quarantine for 10 days as part of Abu Dhabi's Covid-19 regulations.
Scroll through the gallery above or the map below to see all the territories on Abu Dhabi's Green List.
Where can I travel from without quarantine?
The 22 destinations on the Abu Dhabi Green List:
- Australia
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- China
- Cuba
- Greenland
- Hong Kong
- Iceland
- Israel
- Japan
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- New Zealand
- Portugal
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Uzbekistan
Travellers arriving in Abu Dhabi from any of the countries listed above can skip isolation. All international travellers must present a negative PCR test result and take a second PCR test upon entering the capital, no matter where they are flying from.
Can I travel to the countries on the Abu Dhabi Green List?
Not all countries on Abu Dhabi's list are open for tourism. Travellers should check individual destination requirements for the most recent regulations.
From the April 4 list, only Iceland and Morocco are open to travellers from the UAE, and only the latter is accepting unvaccinated visitors.
Citizens and residents of the UAE are permitted entry to Russia, with a mandatory PCR test taken up to 72 hours before departure.
Uzbekistan is open to citizens and residents of the UAE, provided they have a negative Covid-19 test result.
Tourists are prohibited in Japan, while in Cuba, visitors can enter the country with a negative PCR test, but must go into quarantine at their own cost until taking a second PCR test on day five of their stay.
Visits to Portugal are restricted to essential travel only, with entry granted only to EU citizens, third-country citizens with residence rights in an EU country, and those travelling for study, family, health or humanitarian reasons. However, the tourism-heavy country has said it hopes to open up to travellers this summer.
Travellers to Switzerland have to provide a negative PCR test result, and visitors from certain countries have to go into mandatory quarantine for 10 days. The UAE is not currently on the list of countries from where quarantine is required.
Visitors to Taiwan must go into quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs: Audi e-tron
Price, base: From Dh325,000 (estimate)
Engine: Twin electric motors and 95kWh battery pack
Transmission: Single-speed auto
Power: 408hp
Torque: 664Nm
Range: 400 kilometres
MANDOOB
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Ali%20Kalthami%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Mohammed%20Dokhei%2C%20Sarah%20Taibah%2C%20Hajar%20Alshammari%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m. Winner: Majd Al Megirat, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Shehhi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: Dassan Da, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Heba Al Wathba, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Harbour Spirit, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
