Safe Indirect routes from India to the USA – Due to Covid -19 many people NRI’s, Students and work permit holders are stuck in India. After the emergence of the Delta Variant of Civil 19 in India many countries including the USA have banned direct flights from India.
Wef 2nd August 12:00 Noon anyone travelling to Qatar for tourism even if Vaccinated will have to go through 10 Nights Mandatory hotel Quarantine
These people are looking at the different alternative which is flying via 3rd country that has allowed Indian Passengers to be in 🙂 But what option is actually worth and safe, let us find out safe indirect routes from India to the USA.
Safe Indirect routes from India to USA
First of all we would want to clear that no indirect route is 100% safe, there will always be risks involved in it .
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Let us also give you an overview of risks involved in Indirect routes
- Route closure due to govt policies
- Non refundable flight options
- Mandatory RTPCR from India and 3rd country (In case of positive result, one will be stuck)
- 15 nights long layover for USA , making it more vulnerable
- Lack of Knowledge on Visa and entry rules to dynamic govt policies at the current Covid times
India to USA via Serbia
At the moment in Spet 2021, as per our experience, Serbia is one of the best indirect routes for someone who is seeking entry in the USA. Almost a month before there was no flight connectivity between India and Serbia, however after UAE has let Indians transit through its land we are getting good flight options now:). There are pros and Cons involved in almost every indirect route-
Pros of Using Serbia as an Indirect route to travel to USA
- Visa On Arrival
- European country
- Most safe in terms of crime among all indirect routes
- Budgeted hotel
- No Quarantine at the moment
- Tried and tested – People have already travelled via this route
- Good Medical infrastructure
Cons of Using Serbia as an Indirect route to travel to USA
- Food is not Similar
- Few Indian restaurants
- Though English is widely spoken, still they prefer using their own language
- Only Few Direct flights to USA from Serbia (Click here to Check flight connections on cheapo.com)
Things to Consider
- Keep Universal Charging point
- Get hotel near Airport
- Check Laundary Services near or in hotel
- Keep Insurance before travelling
Also, Read – India to USA Via Serbia & CheckList to travel from India to the USA Via Serbia?
India to USA via Sri Lanka
India to USA via Sri Lanka–On 19th August 2021 as per the latest update from Sri Lankan authorities, it is opening for vaccinated Indians with few if’s & but’s. Some people are finding it a very good option to travel to their final destinations. The packages are getting booked via this route and it is becoming a new favourite.
Pros of Using Sri Lanka as an indirect route to USA
- Direct flight to Sri lanka from India
- Familiarity between India and Sri Lanka
- Easy Visa Processing
- Familiarity in the cuisine of 2 nations
- Even People with Covaxin can enter Sri Lanka
Cons of Using Sri Lanka as an Indirect route to USA
- Selected resorts are to be chosen as per the policy
- Few cities are under lockdown
- Expensive flight connections from Sri Lanka to USA
- Covid Cases and deaths are on the rise compard to previous analytics
- State of Emergency in Sri Lanka for Food and forex crisis
- No direct flight to USA (Click here to Check flight connections on cheapo.com)
India to USA Via Maldives
Well, after the Maldives opened its doors for Indians in the mid of July, this awesome exotic island started to get popular among travellers who want to travel from India to the USA. These people are using the Maldives as an indirect route to reach out to the USA and many of them have already successfully reached their final destination 🙂
Pros of Using Maldives as an indirect route to USA
- Direct flight to Maldives from India
- Familiarity between India and Maldives
- On Arrival visa Processing
- You can also Experience the beauty of Exotic island
Cons of Using Maldives as an Indirect route to USA
- Limited resort options opened for South Asians in Maldives
- No entry in Maldives City for unvaccinated South Asian people
- Expensive flight connections from Maldives to USA
- Its becoming difficult to get 15 nights accommodation availability in Maldives
- No direct flight to USA (Click here to Check flight connections on cheapo.com)
Few things to keep in Mind
- Return ticket to India is required as it comes under the Air Bubble agreement
- Imouga Form is to be filled before you enter Maldives
- Check Resorts that are approved for Quarantine in Maldiveshttps://visitmaldives.s3.amazonaws.com/8qe8GgYP/ui7dhczi.pdf
India to USA Via Qatar
India to Canada via Qatar also started in July and has already become the first preference of travellers who want to travel to Canada via Indirect routes 🙂Effective 3 August there is a necessary 10 days quarantine for Indians in Qatar
Pros of Using Qatar as an indirect route to USA
- Availability of direct flights
- Less travel time
- Availability of Connection from Qatar to USA (Click here to Check flight connections on cheapo.com)
Cons of Using Qatar as an Indirect route to USA
- 10 days quarantine compulsary
- It is important to be vaccinated by the recognised vaccines by MOPH(2 doses of Covid Shield and a gap of 14 days after 2nd dose works)
- Children from Red list countries have to be vaccinated to travel , which is not possible in the case of India (No exemption)
- Hotel is to be booked by discover Qatar only with very less availability left
Few things to keep in Mind
- Approval fromEhterazapp is required to be taken within 72 -12 hours of travel, if only 12 hours is left then they only in special cases they will give approval
- It usually takes time to get RTPCR report in Doha, they say minimum 12 hours hours should expect almost 24 hours
India to USA Via Albania
People are also looking for Albania as an indirect route to the USA and as per our experience also it is quite a smooth country to have a layover. Albania is another country from where Indians are travelling to the USA in Covid times and successfully reaching their destinations 🙂
Pros of Using Albania as an indirect route to USA
- Its a European country which is very smooth with no issues as per our past experiences
- Hotel Availabilities is never an issue
- As of now Vaccination certificate is not required to travel
- Albania to USA Connections flight are good (Click here to Check flight connections on cheapo.com)
- It does not come under Air Bubble so return ticket is not required
Cons of Using Albania as an Indirect route to USA
- People have already eaten up the flight availabilities
- In the month of July even if you book it for August it is costing more than Rs 3,00,000 Per person
Few things to keep in Mind
- Keep credit Card with you , if you are paying directly for RTPCR when you reach there
- Hotel should be near to the RTPCR centre, so you can walk and get your RTPCR test done
- At airport one may get RTPCR report in 2 hours, but this itinerary should be made with experts advice
- No direct flights
India to USA Via Mexico
Flights from India to the USA via Mexico are becoming saviours for Students who are travelling the USA from India to resume their courses. With the unfortunate introduction of the Delta variant of Coronavirus, many countries have put bans & restrictions on Indians travelling to their mainland and the USA is one of those. The most tested indirect route to the USA is Mexico, people since May are using this particular route to make their way to the USA.
Pros of Using Mexico as an indirect route to USA
- Already tested by 1000’s of passengers to USA
- Hotel availabilities is not an issue
- Vaccination Certificate is not required
- It does not come under Air bubble so return ticket is not required
Cons of Using Mexico as an Indirect route to USA
- Flights are very expensive as of now with very less availability (Click here to Check flight connections on cheapo.com)
- Covid cases are becoming a concern
Few things to keep in Mind
- Hotels should be near Airport
Also, read – Can I travel to USA on B1/B2 Visa? & Can I travel to US with Co- Vaxin doses
Thank you for collecting all this information. Do we need both certificates of vaccine or only the final certificate?