Malta has allowed the entry of vaccinated passengers from Dubai without quarantine requirements on arrival. Dubai is among a handful of destinations other than the European Union, Switzerland and the UK to receive approval from the Mediterranean island's government for its vaccine certificates for the purpose of travel.

On Wednesday, Malta's state-run airport announced that it would accept vaccine certificates issued by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). At the same time, Emirates has resumed its flights from Dubai to Malta via Larnaca service with effect from Wednesday, months after suspension of travel between the two destinations in March 2020.

As per protocols, travellers flying from Dubai are required to be vaccinated with two doses of a European Medicines Authority-approved vaccine, including Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-Oxford or Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) in order to enter Malta.

The authorities have confirmed that people vaccinated with China's Sinopharm vaccine are yet not eligible to travel to Malta.

On its website, Emirates has noted that passengers flying from Dubai to Malta are required to present a vaccination certificate, confirming that they have received all required doses for unrestricted entry into the island nation.

"A negative Covid‑19 PCR test result will not be accepted for travel in place of a vaccination certificate," the airline added in its statement.

This development has come after the Maltese government on Tuesday night rejected to implement a plan (due to come into effect on Wednesday) that would have suspended the entry of unvaccinated travellers into the country. The European Commission had criticised the Maltese government's decision to ban entry of unvaccinated passengers, noting that the island nation is bound to follow the EU-agreed health pass system that is applicable to all member states.

A report by The Times of Malta stated the inclusion of Dubai in Malta's green travel list, highlighting that an official statement from the government is still awaited.