India restores all categories of tourist visas with immediate effect

After almost two years, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) on Tuesday has decided to restore all categories of tourist visas for foreign nationals, with immediate effect. All e-visas for about 156 countries, regular visas - valid for 5 years and long-duration tourist visas of 10 years stand restored, read reports. Notably, the order has been moved in line with the need to further relax and boost travel with the improving condition of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Lowering COVID-19 scale backs travel relaxations

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With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, all visas to India were suspended in the month of March, with the shut down of regular (commercial) international travel. While a graded relaxation followed soon in October 2020 to ease visa and travel restrictions for Indian nationals other travellers, visiting the country for business, conferences, employment, studies and research purposes, tourist visas continued to remain suspended.

Later in November 2021, tourist visas were opened in India for the first time in 18 months but only for travel in chartered flights. No relaxation was called for regular visas, hampering tourist activity in the country. Several states like Goa, which rely significantly on the tourist economy faced the brunt of this and appealed to MHA to allow the movement of commercial flights in the country to revive the tourism sector.

Since the pandemic condition is getting better, the clamp on international travel has been lifted, after careful review by Ministries of Civil Aviation, Health, External Affairs, Tourism and the state governments. India's COVID-19 caseload is now counting below the 3,000 mark per day, creating feasible conditions to allow relaxation.

All category visa holders are now allowed to travel to India

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It may be noted here that the Union of India has already given a nod to run all regular international flight operations from March 27, suspended initially in March 2020 due to the pandemic fear.

Thus, the MHA order shared with all Indian embassies on Tuesday says that all category visa holders are now allowed to travel to India. There are roughly about 21 categories of visas given by India, in addition to numerous sub-categories like tourist visas, medical visas, business visas, conference visas, student and research visas, missionary visas, film visas, journalist visas, sports visas, intern visas and the likes.

However, it has also been elaborated that these visa holders can only enter the country through certified seas ICPs, Vande Bharat Mission flights, air-bubble services and other regular flights. Foreign nationals cannot enter the country borders through land borders or riverine routes on tourist visas. The order for these routes shall be issued later.

New order not applicable for Afghan nationals

The MHA order does not ease travel for Afghan Nationals, officials said. These travellers shall continue to exercise travel through an e-Emergency X-Misc visa, issued in August 2021. This latest visa category was introduced when several Afghans took refuge in other countries to escape the Taliban takeover.