The Indians Abroad

In a rush?
Don’t have time to get Tourist Visa for India?
Well, there is a good chance that they might let you in, if you come from one of these five countries below.

The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi issued a press release yesterday – on January 01, 2010, and introduced new measures to allow ‘Tourist Visa-on-Arrival’ in India. This is a welcome step toward facilitating foreign tourism and to encourage tourists who plan their trips on a short notice.

“Government of India has decided to introduce “Tourist Visa-on-Arrival” for a period of one year for citizens of five countries viz. Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore on an experimental basis…” The Press Release says.

This is effective immediately, that is starting January 1, 2010. Tourists from these countries can also procure their visas from the Missions / Posts in the normal course, just as in the past.

The statement read, “The said “Tourist Visa-on-Arrival” with a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry facility shall be granted by the Immigration Officers at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airports to start with.”

In a separate statement, the Foreign Ministry also clarified that the gap of two months between two visits would apply to all Tourist Visa holders.
This restriction of two months gap for re-entering India is not applicable to PIO/OCI card holders and foreigners holding business, employment, student and other categories of visa. In other words, the two months gap is applicable only to Tourist Visa holders.

The grant of the “Tourist Visa-on-Arrival” shall be regulated as per the guidelines prescribed in the Visa Manual.

This experimental step is a sign of changing times, and India’s desire to adapt to the foreigners’ attraction to this country with some of the best tourist destinations.

For additional information, you may also want to take a look at the “Frequently Asked Questions Relating to Tourist Visa” available on the website of Ministry of Home Affairs (link: http://mha.nic.in/pdfs/FAQ-TVisa311209.pdf)

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