The Indian government has eased visa conditions, allowing foreigners to use India as a hub to visit neighboring countries up to three times during a 60-day cooling-off period.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced this relaxation of the rule that previously required a two-month break before re-entering India.
The tightening of visa rules came in the wake of the David Headley case, mandating that foreigners with long-term, multi-entry tourist visas leave India for two months before reapplying.
Chidambaram clarified that most tourists, who visit India for just a few weeks, wouldn’t be affected by this change.
“There’s a small group of tourists who use India as a base to travel to nearby countries. If their itinerary includes visits to India and these other countries as part of the same trip, the Visa Issuing Authorities can now relax the 60-day rule and allow up to three entries into India,” Chidambaram explained at a press conference.
Addressing concerns about potential conflicts between the Home Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs on this issue, Chidambaram emphasized that both ministries were aligned.
His remarks followed comments from Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor, who had expressed concerns that stricter visa rules might make India a less welcoming destination for tourists.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna responded to Tharoor’s comments by reiterating that the Ministry of External Affairs sets the broad policy parameters, which must be followed by all officials.
Chidambaram assured that there is no confusion between the ministries and that both are in agreement on the visa policy adjustments.