India – e-Tourist Visa to transform to e-Visa
The government approved a new visa policy on Wednesday November 30. The e-tourist visa (eTV) will transition to an e-visa, which will now include purposes such as short term medical treatment, business trips, and conferences. The e-visa will have a validity of 60 days and may be applied for 4 months ahead of travel. The new scheme will include 8 more countries, with a total number of 159 countries available to apply. A list of countries available to apply for an eTV may be found here.
India’s Home Ministry of Affairs plans to code the visas with at least 27 categories, so immigration officials can determine the specific purpose of a visitor’s entry into the country.
India’s previous visa on arrivals were discontinued in November of 2014 when the launch of the e-tourist visa scheme took place. The e-tourist visa is currently available to 150 countries, in which the traveler must apply online by uploading a photograph and passport page, pay the visa fee through the online portal, and would then receive the e-tourist visa by email.