Passengers with residence permits can still enter Bahrain according to latest travel advisory

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.co

People have been widely misinterpreting the recent travel advisory issued by Bahrain for passengers arriving from countries on the Red List.

According to Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Affairs, only Bahraini citizens and people with a valid Bahrain residency visa will be allowed on flights from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal from yesterday (May 24).

They must also present an approved negative PCR result with a QR code administered within 48 hours from the scheduled departure and quarantine for 10 days upon the arrival.

However stopover passengers from these countries, whose final destination is not the Kingdom of Bahrain, and visit visa holders will not be allowed to board a flight to Bahrain.

This is based on the recommendations of the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

However, since this travel advisory was issued, news has been spreading that all flights from these countries have been temporarily stopped, which is not true.

The confusion is supposed to have happened after an Arabic write up of the travel advisory was Google translated apparently saying that flights from the Asian countries have been suspended altogether, creating unnecessary panic among expatriates with valid Bahrain residency visas and are now in their home countries, thinking that they may not be allowed to return.

Meanwhile, all other non-vaccinated passengers arriving into Bahrain as their final destination are subject to quarantine for 10 days at a government-approved facility or at their residence. Proof of residence owned or rented by the passenger or direct family member or proof of a prepaid reservation at a designated quarantine facility is required.

The above 10 days quarantine requirements shall not apply to passengers arriving in Bahrain from countries, not on the red list who present vaccination certificate recognised by the government of Bahrain. Passengers with valid vaccination certificates issued by public health authorities in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore or the EU are exempt from mandatory quarantine requirements but must undergo a PCR test upon arrival and an additional test on the 10th day of their stay in Bahrain.

Red list countries are modified based on an assessment made by the National Medical Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus and is periodically reviewed in line with international developments.