Tourist Visas: India tightens rules….will this boomerang on Nepal’s tourism?

by aneel
(Kathmandu, Nepal)

Agence France Presse
New Delhi – December, 23rd
India has put a grip on its rules for long-term tourist visas, officials stated today, in a move that is causing confusion for travelers & will affect thousands of foreigners in the country.

Under previous rules, tourists’ on five or 10-year visas were required to leave the country after every 180 days. But many would simply go to a neighboring country such as Nepal for a brief stay before returning. However, now they will have to face the same 180-days deadline, but will now have to stay out of the country for 2 months before they can re-enter. ‘We have changed the rules to prevent the misuse of the long-term tourist visa,’ a senior official at the foreign ministry said, asking not to be named.

The new rules have been implemented since November 4, he said, although the British & & the US embassies in New Delhi said the changes were being applied inconsistently & had caused problems for a number of its nationals.

In a posting on its website, the US embassy detailed a number of tourists’ who had left the country for a holiday but who were denied entry back into India. ‘These new visa & registration regulations are being implemented inconsistently & are not finalized,’ the US advisory stated. Over a 100.000 tourists’ apply for long-term visas each year, according to the foreign ministry.


The British embassies said they were aware of the new visa rules & have discussed the issue with Indian authorities as it will impact a large number of British nationals.

‘There is no real clarity over the details of the proposals or how they might be implemented,’ said Kitty Twakley of the British High Commission. ‘We understand that the Indian government is reconsidering its plans,’ About 700,000 British citizens visited India in 2008 on long-term & short-term visas, she said.

Nationals from 14 countries are eligible for the long-term visas & they are particularly used by British & US citizens who bypass the complicated process of acquiring a business or employment visa. ‘We realized that most countries follow the 2-month gap rule & India needs to do the same,’ the official said.

In October, India announced a crackdown on the misuse of business visas – short-term visas meant for a specific trip to India – which meant thousands of expatriate workers had to leave the country. A final draft of visa regulations on tourist visas & business visas is expected to be issued in December & will be made public by Indian embassies through out the world.

www.zenithadventures.com