Ministry of Home Affairs has informed the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that they were against a proposal to allow “visa-free” entry to business visitors and tourists from eighteen key countries, including China.
Electronic tourist visa on arrival (eTV), it said, was granted within 48 hours of an application being received in almost 87 per cent of the cases. Normal tourist visas, which were valid for six months, were issued within three days in 90 per cent of the cases.
The PMO had, a few days ago, held an inter-ministerial meeting to review a Cabinet note from the Commerce Ministry on dispensing with the visa requirement for business visitors and tourists from countries belonging to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries.
“What is the need for visa waiver when we are issuing visas within 48 hours? The security situation in India is not conducive for this kind of a waiver,” said a senior government official.
MHA was also liberalising the visa regime and was expected to increase the duration of long-term visa from one year to five years, said the official.
Since November 2014, when the Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) system was put in place, around 9.75 lakh electronic tourist visas had been issued.
The demand was increasing by the day and 4.5 lakh eTVs were issued in the last one year.
“From January this year, around 15,34,313 people had applied for Indian visas and only 16,509, or one per cent, were rejected,” said the official.
At present, foreigners were granted tourist visa on arrival for 30 days, while a normal tourist visa can be obtained for 6 months. “Under the IVFRT system, any foreigner applying for a regular visa has to go the Indian Embassy and record his biometrics. Some tourists from countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE have opposed this and the government is planning to extend the duration of their eTVs as an incentive,” said the official.
