Tag Archives: Visa on Arrival

India extends VoA at 6 airports for nations of Japan, South Korea & UAE

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the Visa-on-Arrival facility would now be available for nationals of Japan, South Korea, UAE.

Nationals from these nations can avail the double-entry VoA facility for tourism, business, conferences, and medical purposes, for a stay period of 60 days.

The designated airports for this facility are Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

In addition to the Visa-on-Arrival, the Ministry has expanded the e-Visa facility with Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), now accessible to nationals of 167 countries. This e-Visa permits entry through 30 designated international airports and six major seaports, significantly broadening the scope for international travelers to visit India with ease.

 

Taiwan considers visa-on-arrival for Indians

Taiwan is considering implementing a visa-on-arrival (VoA) policy for Indian citizens, a move aimed at facilitating tourism and business travel from India.

Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Tien Chung-kwang, announced the potential policy during an interview in Taipei. He acknowledged India’s significant outbound travel and the benefits of simplifying the visa application process.

Tien Chung-kwang emphasised the necessity of internal discussions with Taiwan’s Immigration Department before any official decisions can be made. He stressed that such policy changes require collaboration and cannot be executed unilaterally by the government.
“Indian citizens travel a lot…We are considering this (visa-on-arrival). We are going to talk with the Immigration Department.

The Government can’t single-handedly (do it), we have to discuss internally,” he said. He reiterated the seriousness with which Taiwan is considering the proposal, highlighting the proactive stance on enhancing tourism and business ties with India.

The initiative aligns with the ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations, which began with India’s “Look East Policy” in the early 1990s. Relaxing visa requirements has been a part of the mutual approach to foster closer connections between Taiwan and India.

Rwanda Renaissance to promote religious & MICE tourism in India

Rwanda Renaissance was established on 7 April, 2009 in Mumbai, with the support of the Embassy of Rwanda, in New Delhi. The organisation has announced plans to promote religious and MICE tourism into Rwanda to mark its 15th Anniversary on April 7, 2024.

Clarence Fernandes, Chairman, Rwanda Renaissance, said, “Over the last 15 years, we have taken very many religious tourists and MICE groups to Visit Rwanda . Our single largest group consisted of 57 delegates out of which as many as 46 delegates were traveling exclusively to the Holy Land of Kibeho, which is the only Vatican-approved Apparition site in the whole of Africa ”

“We work closely with RwandAir, which provides the fastest and the most efficient way to travel to Kigali. It is noteworthy that Rwanda Renaissance was the only organisation to book a group of passengers on RwandAir’s inaugural flight from Mumbai to Kigali in April 2017 ” Fernandes added.

Fernandes went on to say, “Rwanda is an extremely visitor friendly country and with the offer of Visa on Arrival, it makes travel to the spotlessly clean capital city of Kigali and beyond, a great pleasure.”

Serbia ends visa-free travel for Indians from January 1, 2023

In view of the requirements of EU visa policy and measures to control illegal migrants, Serbia has put an end to the visa-free travel regulations for citizens of India, reports TOI.

With regard to this, a travel advisory has also been issued by the Indian Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, announcing that all Indian travellers visiting Serbia from January 1, 2023, would require a visa to enter the country.

The Government of Serbia has now withdrawn the existing arrangement of visa-free entry into Serbia for all Indian passport holders, and for staying in Serbia for up to 30 days. Earlier, Indian travellers holding ordinary passports and other travel documents did not require a visa to enter Serbia for up to 30 days, within a period of one year.

In view of the latest development, the Indian Embassy has informed Indian nationals planning to visit Serbia on or after January 1, 2023, to apply for a visa at the Embassy of Serbia in New Delhi or in the country of their residence.

The Embassy also mentioned that Indians who have a valid Schengen, UK or US visa will still be able to enjoy visa-free entry into Serbia for up to 90 days.

Also note that Serbia has also terminated the visa-free regime with Guinea-Bissau, Tunisia and Burundi starting November 20. (Source: TOI)

FS GLOBAL- TRAVELBIZ Monitor

VFS Global rolls out pre-departure VoA for 75 nations, including India

Travellers to Indonesia eligible for Visa on Arrival (VoA) can now enjoy a quicker, smoother visa application journey by completing the process online, pre-departure, through VFS Global. VFS Global has entered into an exclusive agreement with TLP, the Immigration Department for Republic of Indonesia and Bank Mandiri, to provide online pre-payment of fees, fast-track access and concierge services to international passengers upon arrival in Jakarta.

Nationals of the 75 eligible countries can apply for their Indonesia Visa on Arrival through VFS Global by submitting their documents and paying the fees online at www.indonesiavoa.vfsevisa.id prior to their travel. A confirmation will be sent to their registered email ID and the visa processed in advance to be stamped upon arrival. With the payment having been made online, the on-arrival process reduces to just the stamping of the visa, which can be done at the designated fast-track Visa on Arrival immigration lanes.

Jiten Vyas, Chief Commercial Officer, VFS Global, said, “Indonesia is a popular destination for travellers across the globe, and we are excited to unveil a service that will make their visa application journey quicker and simpler. With tech-led Do It Yourself solutions becoming increasingly popular, this first-ever fast-track Visa on Arrival service is sure to offer applicants a more relaxed on-arrival experience.”

Indonesia received over 15 million foreign tourists in 2019 before the pandemic. Between January and July 2022, the destination has welcomed around 1 million international travellers. From India alone, over 657,000 tourists arrived in Indonesia in 2019, before the pandemic.

How to use the fast-track VOA service

STEP 1: Visit www.indonesiavoa.vfsevisa.id
STEP 2: Submit the required documents and pay the VOA fee online
STEP 3: Await the confirmation email that will be sent to the registered email ID
STEP 4: Upon landing in Jakarta, head to the dedicated fast-track lane with the confirmation email to get the visa stamped

VFS Global will offer Standard and Express service options. Applicants opting for the Standard service will be able to submit their applications no less than 72 hours prior to the date of departure, and benefit from the fast-track immigration process. Those opting for the Express service will be able to submit their applications no less than 24 hours prior to the date of departure. The Express service additionally provides end-to-end personalised assistance and guidance, right from the arrival gate through immigration, baggage claim, and customs.

Direct flight from India to Madagascar likely; VoA for Indian tourists

The East African country of Madagascar is a biodiversity hot spot, and has flora and fauna which are not found elsewhere in the world. Hence, to explore the unexplored, Ambassador Abhay Kumar met Madagascar’s Minister of Transport and Meteorology M Rolland Ranjatoelina on May 5 and discussed the possibility of starting a direct flight between Mumbai and Antananarivo.

“Ambassador Abhay Kumar met M Rolland Ranjatoelina, Hon’ble Minister of Transport and #Meteorology of Madagascar today. They discussed the possibility of starting a direct flight between #Mumbai and #Antananarivo,” Ambassador Abhay Kumar said in a tweet.

Madagascar remains unexplored by Indian tourists, an island nation located just six hours away in the Indian Ocean next to Mauritius. Visa is available for Indian tourists on arrival in Madagascar and there are many places to visit across the country from Baobab Alley to dancing lemurs to singing whales and pristine beaches. Madagascar is a traveller’s dream.

It is well known for dark night skies for astro-tourism. All the major constellations visible from the Southern Hemisphere are visible in Madagascar. A direct flight between India and Madagascar can help the people of Madagascar to avail world-class health, educational and financial services in India and can promote tourism between the two countries.

India is the fourth largest trade partner of Madagascar. A direct flight between the two countries can promote trade and commerce and people-to-people relations between the two countries. Madagascar has a large Indian diaspora who have family roots in Gujarat.