In a move welcomed by travel agents, tour operators and airlines all over the world, India opened its borders to international tourists again on 15 October. The destination has also announced changes to the validity of an Indian tourist visa. Read on to be sure which Indian visa your clients need to apply for in order to take their trip later this year or next.
THE GRAND REOPENING
For a while, it seemed that India would collapse under the pressure of Covid-19. Both infection and mortality numbers rose rapidly, second only to the US, and after the outbreak of the Delta variant earlier this year fears only heightened. However, India has managed to weather the storm, and today the destination has historically low coronavirus infections and deaths. Indeed, things have been going so well that India has decided to take the final step that other countries such as Canada have already taken: to welcome international tourists again.
Tourists on chartered flights have been able to enter the country from 15 October, while tourists on commercial flights will be allowed in from 15 November. This sounds simple enough but India has also made some announcements regarding visas.
NO LONGER VALID
When selling holidays to India it’s important to note that previously issued tourist e-visas will not always be valid. Under normal circumstances the tourist e-visa for India is valid for a total of 365 days, however, the Indian government has announced that all e-visas issued before 6 October 2021 are no longer valid. So even if you or your client applied for and received an e-visa earlier this year, or even before that, it is no longer valid – regardless of the validity term stated on the visa.
The same applies to the physical visa, also known as the paper tourist visa (type T), which is also only valid if issued on or after 6 October 2021. If the visa was issued before that, you or your client will need to apply for a new one in order to travel to India.
A different date applies to medical visas. These must have been issued on or after 6 October 2020, while those with a Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card can travel to India without a visa.
APPLYING FOR AN E-VISA
After the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, India closed off its e-visa portal so no new e-visa applications were being processed. The country has since re-opened certain parts of this system and currently the eBusiness and eMedical visa can be applied for again as normal. However, the eTourist visa is not yet available. It is expected that, with the reopening of the borders, the Indian government will make the eTourist visa available again soon.
SPECIAL RULES FOR UK NATIONALS
Following the UK government’s decision to impose travel restrictions on Indian nationals travelling to the UK, the Indian government responded in kind and imposed their own restrictions for UK nationals headed to India. Currently, UK nationals cannot make use of the Indian e-visa portal. Their only option for obtaining a visa is by applying for a paper/physical visa through the embassy. India also announced extra quarantine rules for UK nationals arriving in India, meaning they must take a total of three Covid-19 tests: one before departure, one on arrival and one on the eighth day after their arrival. They must also quarantine for 10 days, even if the test result is negative.
Recently, the UK government relaxed these restrictions for Indian national arrivals and so it is expected India will follow suit and soon relax its own travel restrictions for UK nationals in the not-too-distant future.
To find out more and apply for an Indian e-visa, visit e-visa.co.uk/india.
