Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has renamed Tourist Visa on Arrival-Electronic Travel Authorization scheme (TVoA-ETA) to e-Tourist Visa with effect from 15 April 2015.
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- Diffculties faced by foreign tourists especially by scheme’s nomenclature VoA, presuming that they would be granted visa on arrival upon landing will be removed.
- MHA move comes after some of Indian embassies had requested to change the nomenclature of the scheme.
- A committee of officers from the External Affairs Ministry, MHA and Bureau of Immigration also had suggested renaming the scheme.
- Foreign tourists were confused with Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme as other countries allowed tourist to land and then get visa.
- TVoA-ETA was launched in November 2014.
- It had enabled Electronic Travel Authorization to 44 countries at nine airports across India.
- It also facilitated short duration international travelers.
- About e-Tourist Visa Scheme
- e-Tourist Visa Scheme is a pre-authorization of Visa to foreigners that being given prior to travel.
- A foreign tourist is required to apply for a visa online by uploading his photograph and passport and also paying his visa fee online.
- Then visa authorities will process his application and send him an electronic travel authorization, or simply e-visa, via e-mail within 72 hours.
- Since the launch, around 1.10 lakh visas have been granted.
