First let’s get the links to the forms out of the way
Self-reporting form
Apply for exemption ( more on this later)
Eregistration for Tamil Nadu
Tickets
I chose to book my trip via the United + Vistara option. First leg to SFO. Second from SFO – DEL and the final one from DEL – MAA. The other option was to travel to SFO using any domestic airlines and then journey via Air India to Delhi and connect to Chennai. These were the only two options I considered. Transiting via a country that was not US or India seemed risky not only in terms of Covid but also flight bans. It cost me around $600 and then I added on a premium economy upgrade of $120 for the 15 hour journey from SFO – DEL which in hindsight was completely worth the cost. The extra bit of leg space goes a long way in making the journey comfortable.
Covid Testing in the US
In Delhi, arriving International passengers have to either have the covid negative test (RT-PCR only) results taken 72 hours before start of the journey in the US or take a test at Delhi airport (costs some 5000 rs and wait time is 6-8 hours for the results)
I took the RT-PCR test at a local Walgreens (it’s free). The process was fairly easy. I had booked an appointment online which was confirmed the next day. A friend drove me to the drive-in testing center. There I was given a self-test kit. I had to put a q-tip looking thing into my nose and swirl it around both nostrils, put the swab in a container and drop it into a dropbox. I got my results via email (negative, phew) in about 40 hours.
Filling the forms
You can fill the self-reporting and eregistration forms anytime. Consists of mostly address, flight details and you also need to upload your passport biographical page image. Recommended time to submit is at least 72 hours before journey. The tricky part is the exemption form. I took the test about 72 hours before my flight to SFO and got the results the day before my flight. I uploaded the PDF and hoped I would get the exemption email before I landed in Delhi (didn’t happen)
The Journey
On the morning of my flight, I had a light breakfast and reached the airport 2 hours before departure. For check-in, I had to confirm that I had filled the self-reporting form and show the United agent my completed PDF. I got the boarding passes and checked-in my bag. It was tagged all the way to Chennai (MAA).
The flight was full and by this point I was accustomed to the intra-US flight journey albeit in a non-Covid situation. A very standard journey and we were asked to keep the mask on throughout except when eating or drinking. I got out at SFO and then proceeded directly to the gate where the crew for the SFO – DEL flight were setting up. I was famished and still had about 3 hours to kill. I found a Japanese restaurant open in the terminal and had my late-lunch. Afterwards, I went down to the gate and got my temperature checked, self-reporting form verified and boarding-pass stamped. Since the gate area was smallish, I went back up and walked around knowing that I had a 15-hour flight waiting for me. I had a premium economy seat, which was closer to the business-class section. The crew boarded passengers in the reverse order i.e. back to front of the flight. I sat around and went to the boarding area towards the very end of the boarding process to get some “social distance” as it was once again a full-flight. One can never be too careful during pandemic travel. Anyway, once I got on, I was pleased with the economy plus seat dimensions, didn’t get that cramped feeling you get in the vanilla economy seat. Had a pleasant chat with my next-seat neighbor and settled in. The next 15-hours went by in a flash. I had dinner, watched the “Joker” movie (Joaquin Phoenix is phenomenal) and slept for the best part of the next 12 hours. Woke up to a pastry and some tea and before I knew it, the plane touched down in New Delhi. Quick note here you will be given a customs form. Fill it up only if you have something to declare, don’t waste your time otherwise. Anyway, it was now midnight in India. I had about 8 hours to go for my connecting flight to Chennai but numerous procedures were in store before I could get there.
The process at New Delhi airport
It starts with a long walk out of the gate to the first checkpoint. Here, they separate the passengers into a “pre-approved exemption” and normal queue. But it doesn’t matter, everyone who goes through this point gets a “Quarantine by order of apho” stamped on their boarding pass. Did I mention to hold on to your “paper” boarding passes? Anyway, after this point, there’s another check point where you can check whether you have been exempted based on your exemption registration number. You get this number after filling the exemption form on the air suvidha website. I wasn’t approved yet at this point, I even had a rejection email in my inbox for apparently taking the test too early or something. This is probably an automated email if you couldn’t be approved in time. No worries, the person in the 2nd checkpoint asked me to proceed to immigration. The immigration officer asked some basic details like address, phone number (provide an Indian mobile number here) and stamped my arrival. Got a curious remark from the immigration officer about the fact that it had been 2 years since my last visit. Guess he wanted me to come home more often. Will try, sir.
I collected my checked-in bag at one of the carousels. The airport staff actually separate the bags of passengers traveling on from Delhi to other cities and keep it neatly piled near the carousels. I was able to spot my suitcase and walked through the customs green channel.
Before connecting to the domestic terminal area, I had to go through another series of checkpoints. If you have either an exemption approved email or are carrying a negative covid test result, you have to walk through a set of counters. Counter 1 is where a doctor verifies your negative test result. In counter 2 sits someone who verifies the verification from counter 1 (I know, right). Onward to counter 3, where you get your boarding pass stamped with an “Exempted from institutional quarantine” and “State quarantined until date(14 days)” stamp. In case you are not carrying a negative test result, you are directed to the in-airport RT-PCR testing area.
Once all this was complete, I went up to the connecting flights area and took an elevator to the domestic terminal. I re-checked the bag to Chennai at the Vistara bag check area which took about half an hour. It takes about an hour and a half for the whole process i.e. deplaning, getting through immigration, covid checks to re-checking in the bag at the domestic terminal.
I had booked the airport hotel in Delhi before I left the US. It cost me about 8000 Rs for 7 hours. After the long journey, I wasn’t prepared to spend the next 7-8 hours waiting at the airport lounge. Again like the premium economy upgrade, the money spent here was well worth it.
https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airport-hotel
I had me some shut-eye but jet lag kicked in and 3 hours later, I was wide awake. I took a shower in my hotel room and headed-out for my connecting flight to Chennai. I was at the security area around 6:30 am for my 8:15 am flight. There was a long queue here and no social distancing of any kind, but people were wearing masks and most of them were doing it properly. Thankfully, I made it through quickly and had an Idly-Vada breakfast for a whopping 250 Rs. The domestic flight from DEL-MAA operated at 2/3rds capacity and I was provided with a mask, a face shield and hand-sanitizer. Breakfast consisted of a bread sandwich, a cookie and water. It was a quick 2.5 hour flight and I slept through most of it after my twin breakfasts.
At Chennai, I deplaned at the domestic terminal and got my temperature taken. I collected my checked-in bag and simply walked-out. My dad was waiting for me and we took an Ola home. All in all, it was a decent experience from start to finish and I was proud that I had finally learned to spend on conveniences like the premium economy upgrade and the hotel room in Delhi airport. They ensured that I could endure and dare I say, enjoy the long and arduous journey.
The next day, during the routine door to door temperature check conducted by Chennai corporation personnel, I was asked about my travel and country of origin etc. They asked me to take a covid test because of my international travel and within like a couple of hours, people arrived with testing kits and took a swab of my throat and nose. At this point, I’m still awaiting my results. Fingers crossed for a negative test. I will be quarantining for the next 14 days. I’m well prepared and armed with the sports package on my Airtel dish, net banking on my NRE account and Swiggy, even though my mom insists on feeding me every 3 hours in-between phone calls from friends and family. To me, at least, it seems like all is well with the world once again.
Thanks! This is really helpful for ppl planning their trips during the pandemic. Very informative.