The below requirements are valid for current and following sailings (health and safety measures are subject to change and will adapt according to the evolution of the pandemic).

Please note that all Guests will need to follow all of these requirements to be allowed on board: 

• All Guests (2 years old and over), including local residents and Guests staying in the U.A.E. prior to the cruise, need to provide a certificate of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before embarkation. Guests must bring the valid negative test certificate with them to the terminal. For example, if you embark on your cruise at 15:00 on a Saturday, you should take your COVID-19 test on the Wednesday as of 15:00 at the earliest. 

• All Guests (12 years old and over) have to be fully vaccinated. Guests are considered fully vaccinated if they received the full set of vaccine shots more than 14 days before the start of the cruise with an approved Covid-19 vaccine including Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson; Sinopharm, Sputnik V, Covishield , Sinovac, Covaxin. A “mix-and-match” combination of the above list of vaccines is accepted. All Guests embarking on a cruise regardless of their Nationality must present a vaccination certificate indicating that complete vaccination has taken place within the last 9 months (12 months for those Guests who received a booster vaccine with Pfizer, Moderna or Astrazeneca). If the booster was done before expiration of the second vaccine (therefore within nine months) it is not necessary to respect the 14 days waiting period before boarding. However, if the booster is taken after nine months from the second dose, it is necessary to have had the booster at least 14 days before the departure date. The vaccination certificate must be valid for the duration of the entire cruise.  Starting from 1st of March 2022: any guest who received a 2nd vaccine dose or booster more than 9 months before the cruise (therefore, with an expired vaccination validity) but have recovered from COVID-19 within 9 months, will be allowed to embark. Guests must provide and official and verifiable laboratory test result as evidence of the past infection.

• Passengers embarking in Doha (Qatar) must submit a certificate of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48h from departure time to flight to Doha. Guests must bring the valid negative test certificate with them to the terminal.
  

To note: Guests that recovered from Covid-19 and received only one shot of vaccine are not considered as fully vaccinated​. Sputnik/Sinopharm/Sinovac/Covaxin are conditionally approved vaccines in Qatar and are considered valid within 6 months from the second dose or booster. The vaccination certificate must be valid for the duration of the entire cruise. Guests with two shots of a conditionally certified vaccine must carry a serology antibody test with a positive result within 30 days upon arrival to Qatar;  without the antibody test they won’t be allowed to embark or go ashore. People who have received two doses of a conditionally approved vaccine followed by one dose of Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Astrazeneca vaccine and after 14 days from the last dose will be considered fully immune (no need to show the Serology Antibody). Antigen self-test is not accepted for Embarkation 

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.

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.

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.

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.

As per our stringent MSC Health & Safety protocol, all guests both vaccinated and unvaccinated, (under 12 years old), will need to undergo some Health and COVID 19 screenings including a health questionnaire and a contactless temperature check, at the terminal before boarding. 

For a seamless embarkation process, please make sure to review our Health & safety measures in place in our terminals and to bring:

• A printed copy of the embarkation form (available in your cruise ticket)
• A printed copy of the mandatory health questionnaire duly completed and signed within 6 hours prior to the embarkation (available in your cruise ticket)
• The original COVID 19 test and vaccination certificate (paper or electronic format) must indicate that complete vaccination has taken place within the last 9 months (12 months for those Guests who received a booster vaccine with Pfizer, Moderna or Astrazeneca).      
• A proof of COVID-19 insurance clearly showing the COVID-19 risks coverage
• A valid identity document 

We will deny boarding in case of:

• Symptoms i.e fever (>37.5 C / 99.5 F), cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle/body aches, fatigue, headache, sore throat and loss of taste/smell in the 14 days prior to embarkation
• Potential exposure to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID 19 in the 14 days prior to embarkation
• Temporary travel restrictions based on local circumstances. For example, certain countries may deny visas or prohibit entry based on travel history or nationality.
• Failure to provide the proof of the mandatory COVID-19 insurance policy (which must be in one of the following languages: English, Italian, German, French or Spanish

A COVID-19 test or 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. 

Guests will be able to go ashore independently according to local requirements which are continually monitored and subject to change. Guests who are travelling with unvaccinated children are also able to go ashore independently. For the best ashore experience, we recommend all guests explore destinations with the comfort, convenience, and safety of an MSC Cruises Shore Excursion, bookable pre-cruise and on board. More information in the FAQ section. 

Transit Guests in Dubai who embarked in Doha will need to take a local UAE PCR test on arrival to Dubai. There is not requirement to wait for results before going on an excursion.

Guests who will disembark in Dubai: A PCR test can be performed on board based on availability for 80,00 € Reservations can be made directly on board. The certificate issued by the ship does not contain a QR code.

For itineraries calling in Qatar:

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)

• If guests did not receive Pre-Approval Letter, they need their:  Vaccination certificate, Copy of passport, Cruise Card, ONLY for Guests vaccinated with conditionally approved

• 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.

Important information regarding the app Ehteraz (Qatar)

- The app is only required for those Guest who will disembark in Doha (Qatar).

- Guests can download and register in advance but the app can only be activated once in Qatar by getting Wi-Fi connection from and IP address in Qatar or when turning on the data roaming. If international SIM card is not working, Guests can purchase a local sim card available at the terminal at a cost of $24 to activate the Ehteraz app.