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Soon, Indian visa on arrival for 40 more nations.

 
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theflyingsikh
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:06 am    Post subject: Soon, Indian visa on arrival for 40 more nations. Reply with quote

NEW DELHI: India is set to roll out the red carpet for foreign tourists. The government on Monday cleared a slew of measures including extending visa on arrival (VoA) to 40 countries, establishing an online application system for visas and facilitating visa on arrival for pensioners and those attending conferences.

The decision means foreign tourists will be able to apply for an Indian visa from the comfort of their homes while citizens from 40 countries including the US, the UK, Germany, France, Brazil, Russia and China among others will avail visa on arrival when they land on Indian shores. The government has also agreed to extend visa on arrival to foreign travelers above 60 years of age from all countries and cut down the time taken to give visas to groups that are keen to attend conventions.

"There has to be a change in mindset towards the way we treat foreign tourists. All representatives of government agreed on extending visa on arrival to 40 countries and initiating an online system as soon as possible," planning minister Rajeev Shukla said.

The ministries of tourism and home affairs have been tasked with preparing a roadmap since initiating the visa on arrival scheme will require a large amount of infrastructure and manpower. So far, citizens of around 11 countries including Japan, New Zealand and Vietnam can avail visa on arrival.

Source & Full story on the following link
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Soon-visa-on-arrival-for-40-more-nations-senior-tourists/articleshow/23667475.cms
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Spiderguy252
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pity this doesn't happen as often in reverse.
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Nimish
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excellent move from the govt., assuming it comes through. We have a lot of tourist potential, why not make it easy for folks to come to the country? Of course the visa is in reality the smallest of the issues, much bigger issues around ground infrastructure exist. And the menace of touts and nothing being streamlined Sad. Still a step in the right direction.
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jasepl
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A step in the right direction but it doesn't go far enough. I'd like to see visa requirements eliminated completely for the western hemisphere, Europe, the Pacific, and much of Asia east of Burma and much of the Indian Ocean south of Sri Lanka.

I'm afraid the whole thing is going to be an implementational fiasco, replete with queues and endless babudom.

An excellent middle ground will be an electronic visa. As it is the on-arrival thing is little more than a money grab and they're not running any great background checks while the applicant is waiting.

Why not have a simple website where you enter basic information and pay up front to get an authorisation. Simply show that to the immigrationwallah, who just needs to validate a couple of things, since the information's already there and the payment's already been collected. If someone's lied or doesn't meet the criteria, they can be denied entry and sent back, just like with a regular / on-arrival visa.

And the time between applying and arriving can be used by the authorities to do any background checks, if indeed they're interested or capable of doing it.
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iah87
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 12:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

They should give visa on arrival from nearby countries and from countries which generate large volume of tourists to India, and who do not pose a security risk. For someone coming from USA/Canada, India is not a place where they would want to travel without thinking about it and planning in advance. Indian visas are typically easy to get, unless you are of Pakistani origin (much easier than for an Indian to get a US visa). And Non Resident Indians already have the visas to travel to India anyway.
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theflyingsikh
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm hoping that they bring in a US like ESTA system. Where they can screen the traveller even before they have checked-in for their flight. So much more easier for the traveller and Indian immigration authorities.

For eg. All British and most of EU passport holder (barring a few i.e. Poland etc these still need a US visa..) have to apply for a US ESTA before travelling to the US. It is a simple 10min application and cost about USD 14 and the approval is given within a couple of minutes. Some cases it may take longer. ESTA is valid for two years.

If one does not have a ESTA. Airlines are not able to check you in and the system will tell the check-in agent. Pax needs ESTA.
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sri_bom
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

India set to ease visa restrictions for tourists
News
3-Feb-2014 11:23 AM
India is considering easing visa restrictions for tourists from up to 180 countries, with the reforms expected to be approved this week following a meeting of the Planning Commission on 05-Feb-2014 (indianexpress.com, 02-Feb-2014). This follows consent from Indian intelligence agencies, who have given their consent to visa-on-arrival facility for all countries except a a few nations, including Pakistan, which are deemed to pose a genuine security risk.
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Nimish
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good move ^^.
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stealthpilot
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 11:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

iah87 wrote:
Indian visas are typically easy to get, unless you are of Pakistani origin (much easier than for an Indian to get a US visa). And Non Resident Indians already have the visas to travel to India anyway.

Indian visas are easier to get compared to a decade years ago, I wouldn't say easy.

Certainly not easy compared to the five dozen other countries Americans/Europeans etc can travel to without having to think twice .....
We need more tourists- we need to make it easy for them to visit.
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iah87
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 7:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are about 8 countries which are not on the visa on arrival list. Curiously Bangladesh is missing from the restricted country list and Bangladesh is the source of the most illegal immigrants to India !!! I hope it is an error.
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Spiderguy252
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

iah87 wrote:
There are about 8 countries which are not on the visa on arrival list. Curiously Bangladesh is missing from the restricted country list and Bangladesh is the source of the most illegal immigrants to India !!! I hope it is an error.


Those illegal immigrants walk across the border I'm guessing. Not a particular reason to be stringent on the Bangladeshi flying folk, whose staus of being illegal is likely slim to none.
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The_Goat
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Personally, I think that a country with the kind of border security India has should not be issuing liberal visas.

From Pakistanis strolling into Uttar Pradesh via Nepal unhindered, to Bangladeshis crossing the swamp and entering Assam in their millions, to street urchins walking in and creating mayhem in the financial capital for days, India's border security, like many other aspects of the country, is a joke of epic proportions.

I'm not sure we need high value, business class flying terrorists holding passports issued by developed countries, to add to the illegal scum already present in copious numbers.

Effective policing and border control should be ensured first, before any liberal visa regime is introduced.
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Nimish
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 7:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The_Goat wrote:
Personally, I think that a country with the kind of border security India has should not be issuing liberal visas.
...
Effective policing and border control should be ensured first, before any liberal visa regime is introduced.


Not sure of the co-relation between lax border security between India/Nepal and visa on arrival being granted for most foreigners arriving at our airports (and who must have applied and been granted an electronic visa before hand from what I can make out).
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iah87
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 1:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bangladesh is alleged to be the source of some of the terrorists in the Hyderabad bombing which was sometime last year. I dont think India should be giving visa on arrival to BG citizens, it is tough to make a determination on the spot.

After the hijacking incident, Nepal has tightened visa requirements for Pakistan. I still would prefer some screening of visitors from Nepal at the various land checkposts.
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The_Goat
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 27, 2014 12:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So does anyone know how this scheme is working? It was reported recently that more then 180 countries have been included in the list now. Has that been implemented?

Can a US citizen now get a visa on arrival in India?
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iah87
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The_Goat wrote:
So does anyone know how this scheme is working? It was reported recently that more then 180 countries have been included in the list now. Has that been implemented?

Can a US citizen now get a visa on arrival in India?


It will be atleast November of this year, if it is implemented on schedule. For now the old rules apply. US citizens have to get their visas outside India prior to visit.
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