Before booking your cruise, please check HERE if you are allowed to embark according to your country of residence. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there might be international travel restrictions depending on your cruise destination and your country of residence.
Guest passports need to have a minimum of 6 months validity at the time of travel.
FOR GUESTS EMBARKING IN ABU DHABI: Effective from December 30, vaccinated people entering Abu Dhabi will need to show green status on the Al Hosn app : https://alhosnapp.ae/en/home/
U.A.E.: A COVID-19 test is required to fly to the U.A.E.
QATAR: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and European Union (EU) nationals and residents are no longer required to register online in the Ehteraz website before entering the country or flying to Qatar. It is however mandatory to to download the Ehteraz APP which is required for all guests on their cell phones. The Ehteraz APP will be activated when guests landed in Qatar via Mobile Data.
All non GCC and EU Guests going ashore must register in the Ehteraz website Guests will receive pre– approval letter (this document must be downloaded before travel to Qatar in order to be able to get on the plane and to get out of the Doha Airport) through email which will be checked by the port authorities upon arrival. Guests will need to upload a copy of their passport and copy of their vaccine; if they are vaccinated with the conditionally approved vaccines, they will need to upload the anti-body test result. Registration can be done 72 hours before arrival. Guests will only be able to go ashore in Qatar if they are taking part in an organized MSC Shore Excursion.
MANDATORY Download of Ehteraz APP on their cell phones. Ehteraz APP will be activated when guests landed in Qatar via Mobile Data.
For Guests arriving in Qatar, as of 1st March 2022 quarantine upon arrival is mandatory for nationalities and people coming from Countries listed in the red list. All other Countries are exempt from quarantine. For more information click here.
For itineraries calling in Qatar, to go ashore it will be possible only with an MSC organized excursion (to go ashore Guests will be required to show Vaccination Certificate + Cruise Card)
Guests who will disembark in Qatar are required to download the Ehteraz App. The app can be downloaded at any time but it can only be activated once Guests arrive in Doha (please find instructions below on how the app can be downloaded and activated). Guests going directly to the airport after disembarking the ship must have a valid 48hr PCR test or 24hr antigen test prior to arriving in Qatar for all flight destinations requiring it. For Guests with a post cruise stay in DOHA only a 48hr PCR test will be accepted.
Other requirements such as a COVID-19 test or a Passenger locator form (PLF) may still be necessary for national or international mobility requirement: it’s every guest’s responsibility to verify this requirement before departure. For more information, it is recommended to check your country’s competent authorities official channels.
To ensure peace of mind, MSC Cruises requires all guests to have a specific and mandatory Covid-19 insurance policy to embark, covering against COVID-19 related risks, i.e cancellation, interruption, repatriation expenses, quarantine, medical assistance and related expenses, as well as hospitalization. A proof of the specific COVID-19 coverage insurance policy - which must be in one of the following languages English, Italian, German, French or Spanish - must be presented at embarkation or boarding will be denied.