Air Suvidha Self Declaration Form for India

Old Updated Dec 31, 2022

Air Suvidha Self Declaration Form To be Mandatorily Filled By All International Arriving Passengers in India

The new rule will come into effect from January 1, 2023, amid increasing cases of coronavirus in these six countries (China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan) and some other parts of the world.

Airlines are directed to modify their check-in functionalities to incorporate the changes and issue boarding passes only to those international passengers travelling from the six countries who have submitted the Air Suvidha Self Declaration form with a negative RT-PCR test taken not more than 72 hours before their departure on the Air Suvidha portal, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said in a communication.

The guidelines have been reviewed in consultation with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) under communication reference No.Z.28015/182/2021-DMCell.

• A mandatory requirement for pre-departure RT-PCR testing (to be conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey) is being introduced for passengers on all international flights from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan.
• Air-Suvidha portal self-declaration has been made operational for passengers travelling on all international flights from 'High-Risk Countries' with a provision to allow these international travellers arriving in India to upload negative RTPCR test reports as well as to submit self-declaration forms on this portal.
• The existing practice of post-arrival random RT-PCT testing of 2% of travellers (irrespective of the port of departure) shall continue.
• As per the latest govt. advisory, it is not mandatory for passengers from the non-high-risk countries to update the details of the COVID-19 RT-PCR report (If updated, the test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey). For further information, we request you to please get in touch with the Airline concerned.
• Requirement for Children (High-Risk countries): Children under 12 years of age are exempted from both pre-departure and post-arrival RT-PCR testing. For any requirement by the airline, you are requested to get in touch with them.

Updated Dec 28, 2022

Covid warning: Air Suvidha likely to be mandatory for passengers from 6 countries

Passengers from Thailand (Bangkok), China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore are likely to be required to submit the declaration and a negative RT-PCR test taken not more than 72 hours before their departure. 

Passengers planning to travel to India can board flights only after uploading the test results on the Air Suvidha portal. The exercise is likely to start next week from January 01, 2023, for international travellers from these countries.

Last week, India made RT-PCR test mandatory for passengers coming from these 6 countries in the wake of the alarming rise of Covid infections in China, and four other countries.

India had mandated contactless self-declaration at Air Suvidha Portal on 7 December 2021 but discontinued just last month on 22 Nov 2022. The process was stopped after some travellers said the Covid situation had abated in the country and that there was no need to force travellers to update the latest test report.

Updated Nov 22, 2022

India discontinues Air Suvidha form filling for international passengers

As per the recent updates, the requirement to fill out Air Suvidha Health Declaration Form has been lifted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the Indian Government from 22 Nov 2022.

All international passengers travelling to India would not be required to fill out any health declaration forms to be eligible for making entry to India.

In addition to that as of now travellers can travel to India even without being vaccinated or partially vaccinated however, the Indian Government recommends that everyone who is travelling to India be fully vaccinated as per the primary schedule of Covid-19 vaccination in their respective countries of residence, citizenship or nationality.

Updated Dec 07, 2021

The mandatory form was introduced in August 2020.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation India has started a contactless solution by the name of Air Suvidha for all the international passengers visiting India. Air Suvidha is a self Declaration Portal for all the passengers visiting India. 

What Is the India Self Declaration Form?

All the passengers should fill up the Air Suvidha Self Declaration form upon their arrival on the Air Suvidha portal. The form should be filled as mandated by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. It is an online portal for all foreign passengers to submit their current health status. You can fill the form before boarding. There are many COVID-19 restrictions while traveling to India and the Air Suvidha form is one of them, implemented by the Indian government during the Pandemic.

You need to complete the India Self-Declaration form before your departure, and the travel plans, including your stay location/address in India, and some questions regarding COVID-19 should be provided by each traveler. 

By submitting this form, you will agree to declare awareness regarding all the risks and to follow the procedures regarding quarantine, amongst other instructions and regulations set by the Indian health authorities. Travelers need to submit the declaration and a negative RT-PCR test taken not more than 72 hours before their departure. 

Who Needs to Complete the Self Declaration Form for India?

• All the foreigners who want to visit India must have a complete Air Suvidha Self Declaration Form and should be filled online before departure.
• Legal guardians or parents can fill the forms for their children or minors who can’t fill the form on their own. 
• Please remember that you should upload a negative RT-PCR certificate before completing the self-declaration form online.
• The passengers who need to go on an urgent trip to India, such as due to death in the family or an emergency, do not need to proceed with the test and should fill an additional exemption form without the negative test before entering the country.

How to Complete the Self-Declaration Form for India

People interested in traveling to India must look for the online Air Suvidha Self Declaration Form, and all the fields according to the required information should be filled

The travelers should provide the following information:

• Name
• Age
• Nationality
• Contact details
• Passport number
• The following information about their trip should also be included:
• Arrival date in India
• Seat Number
• Flight Number
• Port of entry
• Port of origin
• Contact address of where they will be staying in India
• Answers to the questions regarding health and recent travel should be given to determine whether the passenger was infected with COVID-19.
• In the end, the traveler will agree that the provided information is correct and should also agree to health-related procedures and quarantine. 
• A negative RT-PCR test should also be submitted while submitting the Self Declaration Form. Keep in mind that the test must not be taken more than 72 hours after departure to India. 

Other Details Required

You should mention your seat number, flight number, country of departure, and date of arrival as they are required while filling up the self-declaration online form, which is a mandatory field. You need to submit all those mentioned above without spaces and any other special characters. E.g., JA038 for the flight number JA039.

Documents Required:

Some of the documents that may need to be uploaded in the Air Suvidha portal for processing your self-declaration form are:

• A negative PCR Certificate for a test taken not more than 72 hours before departure should also be uploaded( file size should be 1 MB, and format should be PDF).
• The vaccination certificate needs to be uploaded as well (file size should not exceed 1 MB, and the format should be PDF).
• A passport copy/passport information

Please note: Filename without spaces and any other special characters are not permitted (only underscore and hyphen are permitted)

PASSENGER ADVISORY: According to the latest govt. guidelines, passengers that are fully vaccinated, have to mandatorily upload either a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report (The test should have been conducted within 72 hrs prior to undertaking the journey ) or the Certificate of completing full primary vaccination schedule of COVID-19 vaccination with the date.

Where Can I Find the Self-Declaration Form for India

You can find the self-declaration form for India online and submit it electronically. You can get it at the time of applying for an Indian eVisa or separately.

Self Declaration Form Sample

What Happens After You Submit the Form?

The mandatory self-declaration form is forwarded to the Airport Health Organization on submission. You can fill the form anytime before you board as there is no cut-off time limit. However, it would be best to fill it as soon as possible. The APHO (Airport Health Organization), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Government of India is responsible for the form. The passengers can proceed for immigration once they refer to their emails and look for the updated application document, which should be shown at the APHO counter.

Do I Still Need a Visa for India if I Have the Self Declaration Form?

• Yes, you must apply for a India visa and should fill out the Self Declaration form in normal circumstances. 
• Passport holders of several countries can apply for an Indian eVisa online.
• The required details must be filled in by the travelers in the online India eVisa application form
• With applying online, you don’t need to visit the embassies and consulate offices, and you can easily apply for a eVisa from your home
• You must meet the requirements to be able to apply online for an Indian eVisa
• You will need all the documentation on your entry to India during the Pandemic, including the self-declaration form, relevant visa, and COVID-19 test results. All of the above are not substitute for each other and are required

What is the Exemption Form for India?

It is a second questionnaire associated with the Self-Declaration Form. All the passengers who would want to quarantine themselves for 14 days at home rather than at a government-designated facility should submit the Exemption Form. 

The current rules of the country state that all the passengers must be quarantined for 14 days once they reach the country. In some states, seven days of quarantine should be spent on the expense of travelers in the quarantine institution, and the other seven may be spent at home. 

Following individuals are eligible for the Exemption Form 

• Pregnant woman

• Passengers with severe health conditions

• Passengers coming to India on an urgent basis; death in the family

• Parents with children under 10

Guidelines for International Arrivals

A new variant of Sars-Cov-2, which is also a concern for WHO (World Health Organization), for which new guideline has been revised

All travelers should

• Before you schedule to travel to India, the self-declaration form must be submitted on the Air Suvidha Portal online and also include last 14 days travel details.
• A negative COVID-19 RT-PCR report should be uploaded, and the test should not be taken more than 72 hours before departure.
• A declaration form along with an authenticity report determining that they will be liable to any criminal prosecution if each passenger found.
• Undertaking to the Ministry of Civil Aviation or on the portal should also be given by the passengers, through which the concerned airlines must be permitted to start their journey and that they would be abided by the appropriate government authority’s decision to undergo self-health monitoring/institutional quarantine/home quarantine
• Travelers from specified countries should opt for additional follow-up, and the additional measurements are listed below. You can find those specified countries on the website of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Before Boarding

• The passengers will be notified to undergo post-arrival testing if they are traveling and transiting from at-risk countries and should quarantine if the results are negative and should be stringently isolated in case of positive results. 
• Tickets are provided with Do’s and Don'ts should also be provided to the passengers by the concerned airlines and agencies.
• Only passengers who uploaded a negative RT-PCR test and filled the self-declaration form should be boarded by the concerned airlines.
• After the thermal screening, only asymptomatic passengers would be permitted to board at the time of flight boarding. 
• The Aarogya Setup App is advised to be installed by all the passengers.

During Travel

• Precautionary measures about COVID-19 during the in-flight announcement should be made in flights, at airports, and during transit.
• The crew members should ensure that at all times, all the appropriate COVID-19 behavior is followed.
• If there is a passenger who showed symptoms of COVID-19, He/She should be isolated as per the  protocol.

On arrival

• Physical distancing should be done while Deboarding.
• The health officials should carry out the thermal screening of all the passengers.
• The self-declaration form should be shown to the health staff at the airport.
• If a passenger showed symptoms during screening shall be isolated immediately and should be taken to a medical facility as per health protocol. In addition, their contracts should be identified and should be managed according to the protocol.
• Following are the protocols, the countries specified in para
• Once the passenger arrives, they should submit a sample for the post-arrival COVID-19 test, which is self-paid and such travelers need to wait for their test results to arrive at the arrival airport before taking a flight or leaving. If the result comes negative, they will be advised to quarantine at home for seven days and should retest on the 8th day; if the re-test is also negative, then self-monitor is advised for the next seven days.
• However, if the passenger’s result comes positive, they will be sent to a separate isolation facility and will be treated according to the protocol. In addition, their samples should be sent to the INSACOG laboratory network for genomic testing. As per laid down protocol, the concerned state Government should strictly keep the positive case under home or institutional quarantine.
• The passengers who are not from at-risk countries can leave the airport and self-monitor their health for 14 days after their arrival. Upon arrival at the airport, only 2% of the passengers should undergo post-arrival testing, and the concerned airlines should identify these 2% passengers from different countries. The concerned MoCA/airlines should escort such travelers to the testing area ,The passengers themselves will carry out the expanse of testing.
• The travelers under home quarantine/institutional quarantine, if found symptoms of COVID-19 or tested positive, should be immediately self-isolated and reported to the nearest health facility, or the state helpline number should be reported, or the nearest health facility informed. 

International travelers arriving at seaports/land ports

• Passengers arriving through land ports/seaports will also undergo the aforementioned protocols. Currently, online registration for passengers is not available. 
• On arrival at land ports/ seaports, the travelers need to submit the self-declaration form to the concerned authorities.

Points to Remember

The post and pre-arrival testing requirements are not applicable on children under 5. However, if they develop symptoms during home quarantine, they should undergo testing as per the country’s travel protocol.