e-Tourist Visa Scheme: Key Features

e-Tourist Visa Scheme: Key Features

Question: Government has finalised arrangements for extension and implementation of e-Tourist Visa facility to passport holders of China, Hong Kong and Macau. Discuss the e-Tourist Visa Scheme’’s key features.

- GoI has finalised arrangements to implement e-Tourist Visa facility to passport holders of PRC, Hong Kong Administrative Region and Macau Special Administrative Region from July 30, 2015

- This was announced during PM Modi’s recent visit to China

- e-Tourist visas are not available to diplomatic passport holders, or those included on passport of parent/spouse or international travel document holders

- Passport of applicants for e-tourist visa should be valid for 6 months and eTV is issued to persons engaging in recreational/business/medical tourism visit

- International travellers with Pakistani passport or of Pakistani origin must apply for regular visa only

- Total number of countries covered under the e-Tourist has gone up to 77 from 74

- e-Tourist Visa scheme was launched by GoI on November 27 last year

- Scheme will be extended to more territories and countries in a manner which is phased

- As per this scheme, tourists with e-Tourist visas will reach nine designated airports

- Since launch of this scheme around 2 lakh e-tourist visas have been issued to nationals belonging to different countries

Facts and Stats

- During past 3 years, total of 1.79,673 tourist visas have been issued to persons from Republic of China, Macau SAR and Hong Kong SAR

- Extending e-tourist visa will boost tourism from these nations

- SBIePay, a Payment Aggregator service of State Bank of India provides multiple payment options on a single payment page and serves MasterCard and VISA customers as well for payment of dues for issuance of eTVs.

- After applying and paying visa fee online. eTV is issued online and tourists can then fly to India.