By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: After two years, India has restored all valid five-year e-tourist visas given to citizens of 156 countries and regular paper visas to nationals of all countries with immediate effect.
The restoration of visas comes two years after their suspension following the Covid-19 outbreak, government officials said on Wednesday.
They added that all currently valid old long-duration (10 years) regular tourist visas given to nationals of the US and Japan have been restored. Fresh long-duration tourist visas will also be issued to the US and Japanese nationals.
The government has decided that currently valid e-tourist visas issued for five years, which were suspended in March 2020, shall stand restored to the nationals of 156 countries, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced. Nationals of these countries will also be eligible for issuance of fresh e-tourist visas as per the Visa Manual, 2019.
Fresh regular (paper) tourist visas up to with five years of validity will also be issued to the nationals of eligible countries subject to the restrictions imposed from time to time. Foreign nationals on tourist and e-tourist visas will be able to enter India only through designated Sea Immigration Check Posts or Airport ICPs by flights, including those under the ‘Vande Bharat Mission or ‘air bubble’ scheme.
