Govt allows foreigners and Indians, except tourists, to travel to India
26 Oct 2020
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The government today announced a graded relaxation in visa and travel restrictions for more categories of Indian and foreign nationals who wish to enter or leave India, subject to regulations related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
All overseas citizens of India (OCI) and people of Indian origin (PIO) card holders and all other foreign nationals intending to visit India for any purpose, except on a tourist visa, have been permitted to enter by air or sea routes through authorised airport and seaport immigration check posts, a ministry of home affairs release said.
This includes flights operated under Vande Bharat Mission, Air Transport Bubble arrangements or by any non-scheduled commercial flights as allowed by the ministry of civil aviation. All such travelers will, however, have to strictly adhere to the guidelines of the ministry of health and family welfare regarding quarantine and other health/Covid-19 matters.
Accordingly, Government of India has decided to restore all existing visas (except electronic visa, tourist visa and medical visa) with immediate effect. If the validity of such visas has expired, fresh visas of appropriate categories can be obtained from Indian mission/posts concerned.
Foreign nationals intending to visit India for medical treatment can apply for a medical visa, including for their medical attendants. This decision will enable foreign nationals to come to India for various purposes such as business, conferences, employment, studies, research, medical purposes etc.
In view of the situation arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government of India had taken a series of steps to curtail the inward and outward movement of international passengers since February 2020.
