Anyone applying for a residency permit or iqama is considered physically unfit if a hepatitis C test shows an “indeterminate” result and as such he/she is not eligible to take a PCR test, according to the update.

But if a resident expatriate undergoes two hepatitis C tests with at least four weeks in between and they prove “indeterminate”, the applicant is allowed to take a PCR test. In case the PCR proves positive, he/she then will be deemed physically unfit.

If the result is negative, the applicant will be allowed to have the residency permit renewed for one year after which a new PCR test will be conducted. A negative test would mean the applicant is physically fit.