Foreign nationals visiting India for any reason are required to have a valid Indian visa in addition to all other mandatory documents. They can get the visa from an Indian Mission post or apply for an e-visa from the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, India has certain e-visa restrictions for many countries. Hence, they should check the eligibility criteria before applying for the normal Visa or e-visa in the country. Unlike passports, a visa signifies the duration of stay in the country. Similarly, a visa is required for Indians visiting other countries.

However, there are certain countries where a visa is not required for Indian citizens and some countries provide the facility of a visa on arrival. Currently, there are 63 countries in the world where Indians have the facility of e-visa, free visa, or visa on arrival. As per the Henley Passport Index (A global ranking of countries calculated as per their citizen’s freedom of travel), India ranks at 84th position in terms of freedom to travel. Different countries have different regulations for their visa processes. Let’s have a look below-

Visa-free

Visa-free travel offers the advantage of visiting a country without a visa. This is possible only if two countries have this type of agreement or the visiting country has opened its borders for foreign nationals unilaterally.

E-visa

e-visa in essence is the visa issues online by the country’s immigrant office granting permission to visit the country. It’s a quick and better alternative to the paper-based visas and also eliminates the need to visit the immigrant office.

Visa on arrival

This is an on-arrival visa and is grantes to a visitor at the port of entry. The complete process of documentation and permission is complete at the entry port by the government authorities.

What is the e-visa system and who all can get the visa?

The e-visa facility is offered to the foreign nationals of 165 countries across the globe. While applying, the applicant from any country should mandatorily have at least six months of passport validity. The applicant can simply visit the website indian visa online to apply for an e-visa for a maximum duration of six months. They can apply for a visa only for holidays, attend educational courses or studies related to medicine, dance, yoga, etc. India doesn’t offer e-visa facility to Pakistan and they need to apply for regular visas through Indian High Commission in Islamabad separately. There is no e-visa facility for foreign diplomats, which has a different process.

Difference between e-visa system and who all can get the visa?

The e-Visa is issued electronically by the Immigration authority of India. It is just like the normal visa however the process of issuing the same has become online. It helps the foreign national to apply for a visa from the comfort of their home avoiding any kind of unnecessary risk and office work. All the communication can be carried online and if the authority finds any discrepancy related to information, document, or any other controversial issue, the visa might get canceled. Even the cancellation is communicates online. The visitor will receive information regarding the cancellation only after reaching India or at the immigration counter of their country.

E Visa Facility Denined For Chinese Travelers

During the outbreak of Coronavirus, many countries including India canceled the e-visas facility for Chinese travelers. The e-visa facility is also requires for land crossing in India. They can be issue at airports and seaports mentioned in the visa website of GoI. India has 28 airports with entry points for e-visa travelers. The five seaports which act as the designated entry for e-visa holders are Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai, New Mangalore, and Mormugao.

How can Indian nationals obtain visa-free facility abroad?

Indians enjoy visa-free entry in around 32 countries across the world which includes traveling from several island nations of the Pacific and Caribbean regions. Many of us must not be aware that Indians can stay in Nepal without any restriction on time limit whereas on the other hand Maldives also provides visa- free facility but with a stay limit of 90 days. Even Grenada and Haiti have waived the visa requirement for Indians.
In the past few years, the visa-free facility has grabbed headlines due to many controversial criminal activities. The easy entry often links to human trafficking from India through island nations. Antigua and Barbados providing visa-free facility to Indians were in the highlight when the fraud diamond merchant Mehul Choksi charges with criminal activities such as money laundering, breach of trust, and corruption escapes the country.

Visa Free Entry To Indian Businessmen

Since these islands offer visa-free entry to Indian businessmen and investors as part of the island’s policy, criminal activities have also been on the rise. Hence, it is creating the pressure on the authorities to issue visas for the genuine businessmen and tourists and keeping the illegal immigrants at bay. For the same, they may require to tweak their rules and make stringent arrangements at the airports.

Other island nations such as the Dominican Republic provide the visa-free facility to Indians for 90 days only if they also hold the US/Shenzhen visa. Kazakhstan offers a visa-free facility for 72 hours transit for tourists traveling from the Kazakhstan airlines which also help them in maximizing their air passenger flow.
How many countries have bilateral agreement with India on visa free travel for diplomats and officials?

visa exemption agreement

The Government of India has done an excellent job in developing good relations with foreign countries. Currently, 31 countries across the world have operational visa exemption agreement majorly including France, Italy, Japan, Iran, Germany, and Afghanistan. 74 nations across the globe provide the visa exemption facility for Indian diplomats who include friendly nations such as Israel, Morocco, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan. The other countries assist visa-free travel facilities to military officials and non-diplomatic government officials.
The latest update as on January 20, 2020, countries such as Iran, China, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Bangladesh, Japan, Russia, South Africa, and the Maldives have visa facilitation agreements with India.