Covid-19: How UAE green pass works for tourists

Abu Dhabi - Tourists can register for Al Hosn with their Unified Identity Number (UID).

Most public places in Abu Dhabi will start checking for individuals’ Al Hosn ‘green pass’ on Tuesday, June 15 — and the new requirement also applies to tourists.

The ‘green pass’ on Al Hosn app is a new colour-coding system that reflects a person’s vaccination status, as well as the validity of his or her PCR test. The protocol has been approved to ease Covid-19 restrictions and enhance safe movement and tourism.

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Apart from citizens and residents, tourists also need to download the Al Hosn app. Tourists can register for Al Hosn with their Unified Identity Number (UID), which is used by the authorities to identify a person entering the UAE. The UID can be found either on the entry stamp on one’s passport, or on the visa page. It can also provided by the immigration authorities at the airport.

“All vaccinated tourists are encouraged to use the Al Hosn app to prove they have taken vaccine doses in their home country. Tourists can register their ‘unified number’ (UID) listed on their visa on the app. Tourists can also prove their vaccination status by showing an electronic certificate on their smartphones,” according to an Al Hosn notification.

Unvaccinated tourists can also download and use the Al Hosn app. Vaccination is not a mandatory requirement to land in the UAE. Etihad Airways maintains vaccination status as ‘non-applicable’ for those arriving in Abu Dhabi either from green list countries or other destinations.

How the green pass works

On Monday, the Ministry of Health and Prevention approved the colour-coding protocol for the Al Hosn pass, specifying six different categories. The ministry allowed federal and local authorities to determine its usage.

Explainer: Al Hosn app's colour codes and what they mean

The categories include fully vaccinated, second-dose recipients, first-dose recipients waiting for a second-dose appointment or late to their second-dose appointment, those exempt from receiving the vaccine, and the non-vaccinated.