New Delhi: India today introduced tourist
visa-on-arrival for five countries, including Japan and New
Zealand, to facilitate bonafide foreign tourists who plan
their visits at a short notice.
This has been introduced for one year on an "experimental
basis", a release from the Foreign Office said here.
It said, "to facilitate bonafide foreign tourists who
plan their tours at a short notice, Government of India has
decided to introduce `Tourist Visa-on-Arrival` for a period of
one year for citizens of five countries -- Finland, Japan,
Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore on an experimental basis
with effect from 1.1.2010.
"Tourists from the said countries can also procure their
visas from the Missions/Posts in the normal course."
The tourist visa-on-arrival" with a maximum validity of
30 days with single entry facility will be granted by the
Immigration Officers at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata
airports to start with, it said.
The grant of a tourist visa-on-arrival will be regulated
as per the guidelines prescribed in the Visa Manual, it said.
The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External
Affairs said, "The (rule of) gap of two months between two
visas would apply to all tourist visa holders."
But the restriction of two-month gap will not apply to
PIO (Persons of Indian origin) or OCI (Overseas Citizen of
India) card-holders and foreigners holding business,
employment, student and other categories of visa.
PTI
