The Fine Print of Indian E-Visa

India made a welcome move by introducing e-visa facility for nationals of 43 countries. It earlier offered Visa-on-Arrival to 12 countries and recorded a footfall of roughly 6.5 million visitors in 2013. Though the statistics show a jump in tourists from preceding years, it is still way less compared to what Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Dubai record each year.

The government made a note of it and took quick measures to boost Indian tourism industry: included the likes of USA, Japan, Russia, Germany, Brazil, Palestine, Norway, Israel and other countries including 12 existing VoA beneficiary countries.

Here's a quick who said what from the Indian government:

"The government's objective is to boost tourism and this scheme's implementation will send out a clear message that India is serious about making travel to the country easy," said Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma.

"We have launched this system for 43 countries, because so far the contribution of tourism industry in GDP has been approximately seven percent; we want to double this contribution," said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

“We have started e-Visa where people get visa on the Internet and the tourists will get information at the airport. They do not need to visit any Indian embassy. We are going to increase it to cover more countries,” said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as reported by PTI.

Tourists visiting India do not have to visit a consulate or send their passports to get them stamped. They can submit an online form on Government portal and collect their visa after landing at any of the 9 major airports in India.

Most tourists come to India to visit family and friends, for leisure, medical tourism, and a few to attend business events and seminars. The new Indian E-visa will address visa needs of all these tourists. They can submit an application, upload documents, pay the fee, and receive an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) in the email inbox.

Visa fee is $60 irrespective of where you travel from. The ETA will be valid for one month from the date of issue, and visa also for a month from the date of landing. The facility can be availed twice a year to obtain a single entry and exit visa.

There is immense positivity in tourism industry after a green signal to E-Visa facility. It is expected to double tourists and tourism contribution to GDP, and create 2 million jobs in the country.

For more news and updates on immigration and visas, please visit Y-Axis News