Is PCR testing mandatory for unvaccinated children travelling to India?

Children who are five years old or above and unvaccinated are now required to take a PCR test before travel to India.

Travel agents have noticed a surge of at least 40 per cent in queries regarding PCR testing ahead of the summer rush. They say that both UAE residents and visitors who are currently in the country and looking to travel back to India are among those enquiring.

Salih Tharayil of Real Holidays Travel, Abu Dhabi, says, “Children who are five and above require a PCR test which should be valid for 72 hours. The report also needs to be uploaded on the Air Suvidha portal where the traveller is supposed to submit complete and factual information. It’s a self-declaration form.”

Tharayil adds, “We are getting a lot of queries from confused parents as the protocols are constantly updated. Some passengers find out about this information at the last minute and then rush to get a PCR test done. There have been a few others who discovered this at the airport and then have had to face a lot of problems.”

Passengers need to upload a negative Covid-19 PCR report on the Air Suvidha portal or a certificate of completing the full vaccination schedule for Covid-19.

Lakshmi Anand, Business Development Manager at Mapshore Travels and Tours, Dubai, says, “We have seen an up-tick in queries related to children’s PCR testing by almost 40-45 per cent. As the summer break is fast approaching, it’s important for passengers to remain updated and know that children who are five and above compulsorily need to undergo a PCR test to be able to travel to India.”

“However, while travelling from India to the UAE these formalities don’t exist any more. Other international sectors are also do not insist on PCR testing.”

Meanwhile, parents who are UAE residents and whose children are five and above, are beginning to get their children vaccinated to avoid any uncertainty pertaining to travel requirements, since these are subject to frequent changes.

Children under five years of age are exempt from the PCR testing unless they display Covid-19 symptoms.

She adds, “According to my opinion, it’s become more of a paper filling activity and not so much of a functional requirement of tracing and tracking the spread of the disease. Therefore, apart from being a bother it also entails extra costs. As a parent, I am also not comfortable with the idea of administering the Covid-19 vaccine to my child , especially when there is literature to suggest that Covid-19 doesn’t impact children as much as it does adults.”