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e-Tourist Visa (eTV) for India

30th September, 2015
Sydney, NSW
Recently, someone from Sydney asked me about the latest details of Visa on Arrival for India.
-Knowing that there have been some changes since, I wish to put this update with relevant information.
-Visa on Arrival (VOA) was started for 5 countries way back in 2010.  This was a genuine VOA scheme as citizens of these countries were able to get Visa on arrival in a few select airports in India.
-This VOA was extended to more countries in November, 2014 with the change that people had to apply for Electronic Travel Authorisation {ETA) at least 4 days before the travel. This was called VOA enabled by ETA.  It did lead to some confusion because some people thought it was Visa On Arrival and people can get Visa at the airports in India. Some airlines and some people made mistakes and few people landed in India with the belief that they can get Visa in India. They were turned back and asked to fly back to the airport from where they flew into India. There were therefore some adverse media reports because of this confusion. It is a fact that it was not exactly a VOA because people needed to apply for ETA at least 4 days before the travel and Visa was not possible at the Airports in India, if they did not have ETA.
-To avoid confusion and misunderstanding, the scheme was renamed in April, 2015. It was named eTV (Electronic Tourist Visa), which had the same details as VOA enabled by ETA. It is only the name change with the purpose to stop the confusion. It is not a VOA.
-The name change made it clear that eTV was not a VOA facility in true sense and one must obtain ETA before the travel.
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Following info copied from Indian Embassy, Washington
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e-Tourist Visa (eTV)

1. e-Tourist Visa (eTV) has been made available by the Government of India to citizens of certain countries, including the United States of America. Details of the scheme are available on the dedicated website created for this purpose: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html. International Travellers, whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, casual visit to meet friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business visit may apply for eTV.

2. Citizens of the eligible countries can apply online for eTV (twice a year, each visit not exceeding 30 days, visa duration non-extendable) which shall be granted through email. The applicant should carry a print of this email and can travel to India through 16 designated international airports (Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Gaya, Jaipur, Kochin, Lucknow, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruchirapalli and Varanasi ). eTV is not valid for entry from sea ports in India. The eTV scheme entails capture of biometric data of the visitor on arrival at the airport.

3. Applicants of the eligible countries may apply online minimum 4 days in advance of the date of arrival with a window of 30 days. Example: If you are applying on 1st September then you can select arrival date from 5th September to 4th October.

4. Applicants requiring help may call the helpline number (+91-11-24300666) or send an email to indiatvoa@gov.in for any queries in connection with applying for eTV.

5. The earlier TVOA scheme which included 12 countries (Cambodia, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Luxemburg, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Republic of Korea) has been discontinued, and only the new eTV scheme described above is now available.

6. Please visit the eTV website https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html for complete details of the scheme.

7. The eTV facility is in addition to the existing Visa services being provided through Indian Embassies and Consulates.

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More info and FAQ from https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html

Phone (+91-11-24300666) or email to indiatvoa@gov.in

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Updated on 5/4/16

https://yadusingh.wordpress.com/2016/04/05/indian-e-tourist-visa-now-for-150-countries/

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Dr Yadu Singh

http://www.twitter.com/dryadusingh

http://www.Facebook.com/dryadusingh

2 thoughts on “e-Tourist Visa (eTV) for India”

  2. Pingback: Tourist Visa on Arrival in India for 43 countries including Australia | Yadu Singh's Blog

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