NEW DELHI: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, the Central government is working out a big ticket proposal to extend the Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA) scheme to US nationals. According to sources, the Union Home Ministry is finalising the proposal and an announcement is expected to be made during the PM’s visit beginning on September 26.
Currently, the TVoA has been extended to the nationals of 12 countries — Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia and South Korea. There is no TVoA for the citizens of India and the US in each other’s country. “The MHA is working in coordination with the Tourism Ministry to finalise the modalities of TVoA for those US citizens who do not have a residence or an occupation in India, and whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sightseeing, meeting friends and relatives, short-term medical treatment, casual business, etc. It is still being worked out,” sources said.
The TVoA facility extended by India to the citizens of 12 countries is allowed for a maximum of 30 days with single-entry facility by the immigration officers at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin Airports. As per the rules envisaged by the Home Ministry, TVoA is allowed for not more than twice in a calendar year to a foreigner and it is not non-extendable and non-convertible.
As per rules, TVoA is not granted to foreigners who have a permanent residence or occupation in India, as such persons can visit India on normal visas. According to a study by the Ministry of Tourism, the TVoA significantly influences the decision of tourists to travel to India and majority of the immigration officials view that the TVoA scheme is a step in the right direction towards promoting inbound tourism to India. During the month of August 2014, a total of 2,705 TVoA were issued under this scheme, as compared to the 1,694 TVoA issued during the month of August 2013, registering a growth of 59.7 per cent.