After a Hiatus of 2 Years, India Restores Regular Visas to All, e-Visas to 156 Countries | Key Points

In October 2020, India had restored all existing visas (except all types of e-Visas, tourist, and medical visas) enabling foreigners to come to India for business, conferences, employment, education, research and medical purposes, after availing regular visas from missions and embassies abroad

New Delhi: After a hiatus of two years, India has restored all currently valid five-year e-tourist visa given to citizens of 156 countries and regular paper visa to nationals of all countries with immediate effect. Officials said all currently valid old long-duration (10 years) regular tourist visa given to nationals of the US and Japan had been restored. Fresh long-duration (10 years) tourist visa would also be issued to the US and Japanese nationals. For the unversed, valid e-tourist visas issued for five years was suspended since March 2020. In October 2020, India had restored all existing visas (except all types of e-Visas, tourist, and medical visas) enabling foreigners to come to India for business, conferences, employment, education, research and medical purposes, after availing regular visas from missions and embassies abroad.

Key Points to this big story:-

• Speaking to PTI, an official said that the government has decided to restore these visas for the nationals of 156 countries.
• Nationals of these 156 countries will also be eligible for issuance of fresh e-tourist visa as per the Visa Manual, 2019.
• “Currently valid regular (paper) tourist visa with validity of five years, issued to foreign nationals of all countries, which remained suspended since March 2020, shall stand restored”, the official stated further.
• Fresh regular (paper) tourist visas up to five years’ validity will also be issued to the nationals of the eligible countries subject to the restrictions imposed from time to time.
• Currently, valid old long-duration (10 years) regular tourist visa which, too, remained suspended since March 2020, shall stand restored for the nationals of the US and Japan”, the official said.
• A fresh long-duration (10 years) tourist visa will also be issued to the nationals of the US and Japan.
• The foreign nationals on tourist and e-tourist visas will be able to enter India only through designated Sea Immigration Check Posts (IPs) or Airport ICPs by flights, including those under the ‘Vande Bharat Mission or ‘air bubble’ scheme or by any flights as allowed by the DGCA or Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• In no case, the foreign nationals will be allowed to enter through land border or riverine routes on tourist visa or e-tourist visa.
• The government instructions will not be applicable to Afghanistan nationals who will continue to be governed by the separate instructions issued by the Union Home Ministry regarding grant of e-Emergency X-Misc visa.

(With PTI inputs)