In a significant step towards liberalization of the visa regime, the government gave its nod for two initiatives—visa on arrival (VoA) and electronic travel authorization (ETA) for all countries barring eight “prior reference’’ countries, including Pakistan, Sudan, Iran, Sri Lanka and China.
ETA will allow foreign travellers to apply for a visa from the comfort of their homes and receive an online confirmation in five working days. Both initiatives will be initially implemented at nine airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Goa and Trivandrum. Both facilities are likely to be implemented by the end of the year.
“We have decided to extend the visa-on-arrival facility to tourists from 180 nations. It will take 5-6 months for the respective departments to put the required infrastructure in place. We hope to implement this from the next tourist season beginning October,” Rajiv Shukla, planning minister, said.
India currently offers visa-on-arrival to tourists from 11 countries like Finland, Singapore and Japan. Tourists can get e-visa in three days
ETA will be available for a 30-day period from the date of the tourist’s arrival in India while VoA will also be for the same period for a single entry.
Calling the move historic, Shukla said it was aimed at boosting the tourism sector and would not need the cabinet’s nod. He said the home ministry would notify the same at an appropriate time. A separate website will be set up for extending the facility to foreigners intending to visit India as tourists. To get a visa, they will need to apply on the designated website along with the required fees. They will be granted an electronic version of the visa within three days.
Implementation of the two decisions will depend on three factors.The MHA has raised the issue of deficiency in manpower, lack of infrastructure at airports and ports and the need for a reliable payment gateway. “We need to provide at least 2,000 personnel to bridge the manpower gap. Infrastructure upgradation and establishing of a payment gateway for online visa are also challenges that need to be addressed,’’ the source said.
ETA will allow foreign travellers to apply for a visa from the comfort of their homes and receive an online confirmation in five working days. Both initiatives will be initially implemented at nine airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Goa and Trivandrum. Both facilities are likely to be implemented by the end of the year.
“We have decided to extend the visa-on-arrival facility to tourists from 180 nations. It will take 5-6 months for the respective departments to put the required infrastructure in place. We hope to implement this from the next tourist season beginning October,” Rajiv Shukla, planning minister, said.
India currently offers visa-on-arrival to tourists from 11 countries like Finland, Singapore and Japan. Tourists can get e-visa in three days
ETA will be available for a 30-day period from the date of the tourist’s arrival in India while VoA will also be for the same period for a single entry.
Calling the move historic, Shukla said it was aimed at boosting the tourism sector and would not need the cabinet’s nod. He said the home ministry would notify the same at an appropriate time. A separate website will be set up for extending the facility to foreigners intending to visit India as tourists. To get a visa, they will need to apply on the designated website along with the required fees. They will be granted an electronic version of the visa within three days.
Implementation of the two decisions will depend on three factors.The MHA has raised the issue of deficiency in manpower, lack of infrastructure at airports and ports and the need for a reliable payment gateway. “We need to provide at least 2,000 personnel to bridge the manpower gap. Infrastructure upgradation and establishing of a payment gateway for online visa are also challenges that need to be addressed,’’ the source said.
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