Turkey to admit Indians vaccinated with Covishield or Covaxin without quarantine

Turkey has joined the growing list of almost 100 countries with which India either has an agreement for mutual recognition of vaccination certificates for travellers who are fully vaccinated with nationally or WHO recognized vaccines or those exempting fully vaccinated Indian citizens from travel-related restrictions

Indian nationals travelling to Turkey will no longer be required to undergo mandatory quarantine from Monday if they are fully vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin.

The indigenously developed and manufactured Covaxin was accorded emergency use listing (EUL) by WHO on November 3. (AP/File Photo/Representative use)

A statement issued by the Turkish embassy on updated quarantine arrangements for travellers from India and Nepal said that from November 15 onwards, passengers will have to submit a negative PCR test taken up to 72 hours before arrival.

Travellers with vaccine certificates for two doses of Covid-19 vaccines approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO) or Turkey will be exempted from mandatory quarantine, according to the statement.

However, passengers who cannot provide a vaccine certificate will be quarantined at their residence or declared address in Turkey. On the tenth day of quarantine, they will be subjected to a PCR test and the quarantine will be ended if the result is negative.

Turkish ambassador Firat Sunel said in a tweet: “Passengers submit (-)PCR test & vaccination certificate only. Both Covaxin & Covisheild accepted. Children (btw.12-18) with parents need (-)PCR test only, no PCR test requirement for below 12.”

Turkey has joined the growing list of almost 100 countries with which the Indian government either has an agreement for mutual recognition of vaccination certificates for travellers who are fully vaccinated with nationally or WHO recognized vaccines, or those exempting fully vaccinated Indian citizens from travel-related restrictions.

The list of “Category A” nations includes 99 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Mauritius, the Philippines, Singapore, Sudan, the UK, the United Arab Emirates and the US.

The indigenously developed and manufactured Covaxin was accorded emergency use listing (EUL) by WHO on November 3. Covaxin and Covishield, the Indian variant of the AstraZeneca vaccine, are the two main jabs used in the country’s immunisation programme.

Certain countries had accorded national regulatory clearance to Covaxin even before the vaccine’s clearance by WHO.