Government to Ease Travel Curbs for Foreign, Indian Nationals

The Union home ministry on Thursday announced the easing of visa and travel restrictions for foreign and Indian nationals wishing to travel to and from India.

The government is immediately restoring all categories of visas, except for electronic (e-visas) and tourist visas, to allow foreign nationals, Indians, and those who are overseas citizens of India (OCIs) and people of Indian origin (PIO) to enter the country through authorized airports and seaport immigration check posts, the government said. People can now visit India for business, conferences, employment, studies, research and medical purposes, it said.

For foreign nationals wishing to visit India for medical treatment, the person will need to apply for a fresh visa under this category, the ministry said. If approved, one attendant for the person coming for medical treatment will also be issued a visa, it said.

The decision is seen as part of a series of measures aimed at bringing in normalcy to spur economic growth after a stringent lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus brought economic activity to a standstill.

“The government has now decided to make a graded relaxation in visa and travel restrictions for more categories of foreign nationals and Indian nationals who wish to enter or leave India," the home ministry said.

"In this way, it has been chosen to allow all OCI



and PIO cardholders and all other far off nationals proposing to visit India for any reason, aside from on a vacationer visa, to enter via air or water courses through approved air terminals and seaport movement check posts," the service said. 

"This incorporates flights worked under the Vande Bharat Mission, air transport bubble plans or by any non-planned business trips as permitted by the service of common aeronautics," the home service said. 

The reference was to the "air bubble courses of action" that India has with in excess of twelve nations, including Bangladesh, Oman, Kenya, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Canada, France, the UAE, the UK and the US. On 14 October, India had made such plans with 17 nations.

The ministry, however, also warned that all such travellers coming to India will have to adhere to government stipulations on quarantine and covid-19 testing.

“All such travellers will have to strictly adhere to the guidelines of the ministry of health and family welfare regarding quarantine and other health and covid-19 matters," it said.

The easing of visa norms comes almost seven months after India imposed the strictest nationwide lockdown globally to curb the transmission of covid-19 in a country with more than 1.3 billion people.

India had imposed a complete lockdown between 24 March and early June.