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.
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The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Specs
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
