With the Indian Ministry of Tourism having recently announced its latest guidelines including the provision of Indian Visa-on-Arrival or e-Tourist Visa (eTV) for tourists from 113 countries, visiting India is easier now than ever before!
India is, and has been for a long time, one of the most popular travel destinations in Asia. A land of gushing rivers, lofty mountain peaks, rich flora and fauna, white sandy beaches, sprawling plantations, a happening nightlife, spiritual experiences, cultural heritage and handicrafts – India is on every traveller’s list of places to visit before they die. But the process of obtaining an Indian visa could be a tad bit lengthy at times, with applicants having to stand in line at the Indian consulates to apply for a visa and then wait for several weeks to know if they had been given a visa or not. This may have discouraged one too many travellers in the past from visiting India. However, all of this is set to change now.
In a bid to boost tourism and to make it easier for foreign tourists to plan their visits to India, the facility of Visa-on-Arrival has been launched currently for tourists travelling from 113 countries including Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Island,Chile, China, China- SAR Hongkong, China- SAR Macau, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand,Nicaragua, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Russia, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Turks & Caicos Island, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City-Holy See, Venezuela, Vietnam.
It now takes only four easy steps to apply for an Indian Visa on Arrival. Just log on to the website https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html, fill up an online application form and upload a recent photo along with a scanned copy of the first page of your passport.
Earlier all the countries had the same e-Tourist Visa fee of US $ 60 and the bank charges but from November 3, 2015, the Government of India has decided to revise the visa fee in four slabs of 0, US $ 25, US $ 48 and US $ 60. This revision has been done on the principle of reciprocity. There is no bank charges for the zero visa fees. The payment method remains the same where you pay a fixed fee according to the slab in which your respected country falls using your debit/credit card and wait until you receive the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) through email. The status of the visa can also be tracked online.
Travelers must make sure to apply for their Indian Visa on Arrival a minimum of 4 days and a maximum of 30 days before arriving in India. The specifications regarding the photo, fee payment and other requirements are clearly stated on the website to facilitate hassle-free application process. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months. Upon entry into any of the nine airports at Bangalore, Goa, Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Cochin or Trivandrum, travelers must present a printed copy of their ETA and have their bio-metric details recorded at immigration. This facility is available for not more than two visits in a year, each time for a maximum of 30 days. From August 15th 2015, 7 more airports are being included in the scheme, they are, Ahmadabad, Amritsar, Gaya, Jaipur, Lucknow, Trichy and Varanasi.
This new facility comes as a warm-hearted open invitation for tourists worldwide to visit India and revel in its culture and beauty. The country just became an even more attractive destination for travellers from countries like Australia, Finland, Norway, Luxembourg, Russia, USA and New Zealand, who will now find it easier and much more convenient to obtain an Indian Visa on Arrival and travel across the country on a leisurely month-long vacation in true-blue Indian style.
Out of 113 Countries/Territories included in e-Tourist Visa scheme Zero visa fees has been decided for 19 Countries/Territories (Argentina, Cook Islands, Fiji, Jamaica, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue Island, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uruguay, and Vanuatu).
US$ 25 has been fixed for 3 Countries/Territories (Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka).
US$ 48 has been fixed for 86 Countries/Territories (Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Island, Chile, China, China- SAR Hong kong, China- SAR Macau, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turks & Caicos Island, UAE, Vatican City-Holy See, Venezuela and Vietnam.)
US$ 60 has been fixed for 5 Countries/Territories (Mozambique, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and USA).
