Indians travelling abroad can reduce the gap between the second and precautionary doses of the Covid-19 vaccine instead of the 270-day limit specified currently.

Under new rules, announced by Union Minister of Health Mansukh Mandaviya, the precautionary dose, also called booster dose, can be timed “as required by the guidelines of the destination country”.

The new facility will soon be available on CoWin, the vaccination registration portal, the minister tweeted.

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According to a ministry official, the decision to relax the norms for overseas travellers was based on the recommendation of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI).

Indians aged above 18 are currently eligible for the precaution dose nine months after the second dose.