Tourist Visa on Arrival Program May Be Extended To 2 More Countries

The Indian Government is looking to expand the amount of countries under the Tourist Visa on Arrival scheme by two. Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai, recently indicated travelers from Thailand and Malaysia may soon be included in the TVoA facility.

India’s Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA) began from January 1 2010, allowing travelers from 5 countries, the ability to obtain the necessary tourist visa at four of India’s international airports. The program was extended to 6 more countries within 13 months after finding considerable success.

Currently, India’s Tourist Visa on Arrival facility is applicable to 11 countries, including Finland (2010), Japan (2010) , Luxemburg (2010), New Zealand (2010), Singa-pore (2010), Cambodia (2011), Laos (2011), Vietnam (2011), Philippines (2011), Myanmar (2011) and Indonesia (2011).

Along with more countries under the TVoA facility, several international airports have been mentioned as candidates to offer the service aside from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airports.

During the period January-August 2012, a total number of 9412 Tourist Visa on Arrival were issued as compared to 7514 TVoAs during corresponding period of 2011 registering an increase of 25.3%. The number of TVoAs issued under this scheme, during January-August 2012, were Japan (2564), New Zealand (1789), Indonesia (1514), Philippines (1442), Singapore (1178), Finland (618), Vietnam (117), Myanmar (62), Cambodia (62), Luxembourg (58) and Laos (7).

During the period January-August 2012, the number of Tourist Visa on Arrival issued by airport facility are: Delhi (5489), Mumbai (1981), Chennai (1365) and Kolkata (577).

Related posts:

1. Tourist Visa On Arrival Program by Government of India
2. Visa on Arrival Program Records 95% Increase From 2010
3. Changes to Visa-On-Arrival and NE States Permits