India Tightens Visa Rules
US, UK protest India's new tight tourism rules
Britain and the US have lodged a diplomatic protest with India after the government in Delhi introduced rules barring tourists from returning to the country within two months of any visit.
The new visa rules, which also apply to other foreign nationals, are apparently a reaction to the arrest in the US of a Mumbai terror suspect, David Coleman Headley, who had entered India on a multiple-entry visa.
The British high commission in Delhi has urged the Indian government to rethink the policy, which is expected to hit tourists planning to use India as a base for touring the region.
It will also be a blow to thousands of Britons living in India on long-term tourist visas. Many foreigners living in India prefer to use tourist visas rather than go through the complicated process of trying to secure a visa that would grant them the right to residency.
Some apply for six-month tourist visas and then travel to nearby countries, such as Nepal, to renew them. Those on longer-term tourist visas ‑ for five or 10 years ‑ are also required to leave the country every 180 days and tend to fly out for a couple of days before returning. Under the new rules, that would no longer be an option.
Posts on internet travel forums suggest that some British tourists have already fallen foul of the rules and have found themselves stranded and unable to return to India after visiting neighbouring countries.
On the IndiaMike forum one poster, from London, described how he had been renting an apartment in Goa and had travelled to Nepal to apply for a new six-month tourist visa, only to be informed that he would not be allowed back in for two months.
"This is insane," he wrote. "How can you introduce a rule without any prior warning and let ppl [sic] make plans and pay for flights etc and mess everything up for them … I now have no option but to get a transit visa and leg it back to Goa, get my stuff and leave … all this achieves is me and 1000's of others having to cut their plans short and spend none of that cash into the system … Well done!!"
A spokesman for the British high commission said the high commissioner had written to protest. "We have discussed this matter with the government of India. As yet there is no real clarity over the details of the proposals or of how they might be implemented. We understand that the Indian government is reconsidering its plans. We shall keep a close eye on this as it develops because it has the potential to impact on a large number of British nationals."
Details of the plans are yet to be published but reports in India suggested that people of Indian origin living in the UK will also be caught up in the rule change.
Many British passport holders with Indian origins use tourist visas to visit relatives in India rather than tackling the bureaucratic minefield involved in applying for a Person of Indian Origin card, which would allow them entry into the country. They will also be subject to the no return for two months rule.
The Indian government has apparently sought to defuse the row by giving consular officials the power to grant exemptions in exceptional cases, although there is as yet no clarity on how that might be applied.
British diplomatic sources also suggested the changes had alarmed some Indian companies with nationals working overseas, who feared that their business interests might be affected if other countries introduced reciprocal arrangements.
The decision, by India's home ministry, comes after officials reviewed the case of Headley, who is under arrest in the US accused of scouting targets for terrorist attacks, including the Mumbai attacks last year which left 166 people dead.
He was found to have used a multiple entry business visa to make nine trips to India, during which time he is alleged to have visited a number of potential targets.
India has already cracked down on business visas this year, informing thousands of holders that they must return to their home countries and prove that they meet much stricter criteria before new visas will be issued.
Ironically, the clampdown comes as the country attempts to boost its tourism industry. Last week the home minister, P Chidambaram, announced the trial introduction of a visa on arrival scheme for citizens of Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Luxembourg and Finland and said a country the size of India should be attracting at least 50 million visitors a year. About five million tourists visit India every year, including an estimated three quarters of a million Britons.
A final draft of the visa regulations is expected to be issued next month but in the meantime a number of embassies in India have notified their citizens of the changes. The Indian embassy in Berlin has also posted the rule on its website, noting that "a minimum gap of two months is mandatory between visits as tourists to India".
The introduction of the new system coincides with a visit to India by the business secretary, Lord Mandelson, who has been trying to calm Indian concerns over changes to Britain's immigration rules.
Comments
have a 6 month visa double entry. arrived second time in india within a month, got deported like a common crim. if this is the way you treat people who come to spend money in your country then you can kiss my tourist dollars GOODBYE. next time im off to thailand a very friendly and laid back place, and one thing remember its easy to drive us all away but it will be hell to get us to come back.
India has the right to enact such law, and make sure to adhere to it with its tooth and nails. Yes, others dealing with India will need to re-link and realign the ways they do business with India. May be instead of sending their chosen (mostly non-indian) reps, these companies hire and promote expats from their own companies to send people to India for their businesses. I see floods of whites visiting India for three days on company visits, and then go home, and come back to visit again. May be India does not benefit from their visits so much.
I have the clarification and FAQ on the current status/Govt Of India clarification if any one is interested......... please let me know and I can e-mail it!!!
Sam, I dont think you understand the intent of the UK and US Govts.'s protest as well as the point of the article. they are squealing in the main about the people who "live and work" in India on tourist visas. The Indian Govt has already clarified that people using the country as a true vacation base will be exempted on a case by case basis. Please read again that the article mainly refers to people who are using the tourist visa to circumvent the need/process to get the correct visa. Even Singapore and Malaysia apply quick and seemingly arbit changes to rules when the illegal aliens of Indian origin get too much to handle. Check it out!!!!!!!
I read with interest your comment, and i dont think you understand the implications of the changes many tourist come to india and then use india as a base then to travel to singapore, sri lanka, nepal etc, this is effecting them and i know people who have travelled for christmas and are due to come back to india to complete their holiday and cant come back in.. how is this abusing the tourist visa. if you apply for a 6 month multiple entry visa and are granted one then are you stupid to think you can use India as a base to travel this hemosphere?
By this new immg rule certainly tourism will be affected very basdly and the people who flies frequently of other nationality for business concern will also be get affected.
i am so shoked about this decision. I got my 5 years visa on august witout any problem and i discover now that not only i have to make a leave any 90 days but also stay for 2 months away from India. How is it possible to expect that terrorism will be knocked down if people has no possibility than to stay more than 90 days in India ? This is really stupid, terribly stupid. Everyone knows that nothing like this will be able to fight against terrorism if it is this fact which had provoked this new rule.
When i got my 5 years visa, I paid a good price for it and now, with no information at all, new rules are coming on !!!
And what about the people we are employing for our house, will they have to loose their job ?
IF India is fed up with so many people working with a tourist visa, black work, the why don't they allow us, retired people with true income to stay here as it is possible in Thailand ?
I do expect that this rule is going to be abolished soon as it is a real burden for those, like me, who had decides to end their life on the Holy soil of our Mother India.
I have clients in India with US passports and multiple entry tourist visa. They are scheduled for vacation starting Jan 5th to Singapore,Malaysia,Bali and then go back to India for 2 more months. I need to know immediately if they will have problem reentering visa after their vacation of 2 weeks. Who should my clients contact in India and what should they do. Time is critical now because they stand to loose a lot of money. Please advise/help.
Dont worry, knee jerk reactions have a habit of not lasting long.
When I met the Indian Minister of Tourism in London at WTM, she assured us that India is doing everything possible to promote new angles and new areas to enhance convenience for the tourists.
It is incredible that the Indian Government takes a step back and attack well wishers of India in this competitive world.
The new policy is without doubt a suicidal attempt for the new Indian tourism promotion initiatives announced at various travel shows.
I quote from another article on your site....
TITLE: Tough new visa regulations for visitors to the UK
QUOTE "The Home Office said the changes will help create a fairer Britain with fair treatment for those who play by the rules, but tough action against those who break the law. " UNQUOTE
Now please juxtapose this against your article above. Fair is fair, play by the rules.... DO NOT USE YOUR TOURIST VISA TO WORK OR CONDUCT BUSINESS in India. DO NOT BREAK THE LAW, and all will be OK!
QUOTE" alarmed some Indian companies with nationals working overseas, who feared that their business interests might be affected if other countries introduced reciprocal arrangements." UNQUOTE
I dont understand....... neither US nor UK, nor any other country for that matter allow Indian companies to have their people work in the respective countries on TOURIST VISAS anyway. All Indian companies are required to and in fact do obtain business visas for their people travelling on business. As a travel professional of 25 years I know this to be a general fact. The companies that evade or dis-respect this requirement, deserve no sympathy anyway.
QUOTE" rather than tackling the bureaucratic minefield involved in applying for a Person of Indian Origin card," UNQUOTE
Again untrue, the Person of Indian Origin Card takes no more than 4 working days at the High Commission in London.
I am married to a Swedish National and she being eligible for this card, got it at the Embassy in Stockholm in less than a week. My son got it in a week and a half....... so I speak from personal experience........
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING!!!!!!!1
quote"It will also be a blow to thousands of Britons living in India on long-term tourist visas. Many foreigners living in India prefer to use tourist visas rather than go through the complicated process of trying to secure a visa that would grant them the right to residency."
Please pray tell which country (least of all US and UK) allows anyone to misuse the terms of a Tourist Visa by staying in the country illegally. If you are not in the country as a tourist, you have no right to be there on a tourist visa. Furthermore, India has one of the most liberal residency visa regimes anywhere in the world. Please do not mislead your readers into believing that the Indian Residency Visa has a more complicated process than the UK or US. Please talk with anyone who has attempted to obtain a Residency Visa for UK and US and the truth will emerge.
Post new comment