The tiny Balkan nation turns out to be lot cheaper than Maldives
Serbia, a tiny Balkan country in South East Europe has largely been an unexplored tourist destination for travelers from India. But Covid related travel restrictions have changed that.
As more and more Indians explore ways to beat the Covid travel ban to reach the US, Serbia is the latest among the growing list of countries welcoming travelers from India to quarantine, stay and transit into the United States.
As President Joe Biden’s April 30 proclamation restricts entry of most visa holders from India to travel directly into the US, some travelers have started considering Serbia as a possible destination for quarantine travel.
Read: And now India to Canada via Belgrade (August 19, 2021)
Mahesh J. (name withheld on request), who travelled to the US after quarantining for seven days in the Serbian capital of Belgrade as per the Serbian regulations, says he was overall satisfied with his choice of destination.
“Most people, I spoke to suggested Mexico as it is the most frequented route right now,” he says. “But when I heard of Serbia opening up, I decided to travel via this country. Since the currency is weaker, the entire expenditure turns out to be a lot cheaper than Maldives or even Mexico.”
Read: Maldives fast emerging as a transit hub for travel to the US (July 29, 2021)
According to Serbia travel guidelines foreign citizens are allowed to enter the Republic of Serbia if they have one of three documents:
One, a negative RT-PCR test not older than 48 hours from the date of issue of the results. Or a certificate of complete vaccination issued by Republic of Serbia or a foreign state with which Serbia has concluded an agreement on the recognition of vaccination. India is included in the list of these countries.
If one does not have the above two they must possess a certificate of recovery from Covid-19. The document must specify that the person has been diagnosed with the SARS-COV-2 virus, provided that no less than 14 days or more than six months may elapse from the first test.
Read: Serbia Becomes A Popular Stopover Destination As Indians Flock For Quarantine Tourism (August 4, 2021)
According to newest guidelines no quarantine is required for Indian nationals with a negative RT-PCR test when they arrive in the country, making it another great choice for quarantine travel.
However, language barrier and lack of ready availability of Indian food is still a problem that is making many Indians wary of having their elderly parents travel via Serbia.
3 Comments
Most Serbs speak English so there shouldn’t be a language barrier for elderly parents. Concerning food, Belgrade is a cosmopolitan city that would welcome Indian restaurants. Hopefully some Indian nationals might stay and open the first one. Otherwise, I suggest the Serbian style BBQ which most tourists enjoy.
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