Impact – Medium
What is the change? India has expanded its e-tourist visa program to citizens of 37 countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, South Africa and Switzerland.
What does the change mean? The e-tourist program benefits tourists from designated countries. Business travelers are advised to obtain a visa from the Indian Consulate before their trip.
Implementation time frame: Immediate and continuous. Affected visas/permissions: e-tourist visas. Affected: Citizens of 37 countries added to the program. Impact on Processing Time: Tourists in affected countries can get an e-tourist visa online before travel, saving time during the visa application process. Business Impact: The Indian government allows travelers to use e-tourist visas for “casual business visits”, but the definition is very narrow and business travelers should not attempt to use e-tourist visas unless they can obtain a visa from the consulate.
Background: Citizens of the following countries are eligible for the e-Tourist visa as of February 26th.
Albania Court DalvoirGreeceMoldovaSouth AfricaAustriaCroatiaGuineNamibiaSwazilandBosnia & HerzegovinaNaCzech RepublicIcelandIcelandIcelandSwitzerlandBotswanaZambiaCappeVerdegambiaMaraWisLovakiaZimbabEcoMologana
The Indian government has dramatically expanded its e-tourist visa program since the fall of 2014. The program is now available to citizens of 150 countries. A complete list of eligible citizens can be found on this Indian government website. Eligible travelers are restricted to two e-tourist visas per year.
BAL Analysis: People traveling to India for business recall that BAL does not recommend that business travelers use e-tourist visas due to the narrow definition of business trips, the wider discretion that border officials are at high risk of turning away at the time of entry.
This alert is provided by the BAL Global Practice Group. For more information, please contact Bal Attorney.
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