According to Netglobers.com: 'The visa restrictions were introduced to reduce the flow of people into and out of India following terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people. However, government officials recognized that such measures were negatively impacting the country's tourism industry.'
The only way around this was if you had a travel itinerary that you could show the immigration officials which showed your entire travel plans that included multiple entries to India from, for instance, Nepal or Thailand.
Updated Info - Official Indian government websites concerning the easing of restrictions:
Government of India Press Information Bureau:
http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=89835
Embassy of India, Washington, DC:
http://www.indianembassy.org/prdetail2070/important-notice-restrictions-on-tourist-visa-re-entry-within-2-months-lifted
Here is the announcement which was posted on the Travisa website for Indian tourist visa applications for US citizens:
Travelers on a Tourist visa were previously required to have a gap of at least 2 months between two separate visits to India. The restriction has now been lifted except for nationals of China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, foreigners of Pakistan and Bangladesh origin and stateless persons.
You can find more information here concerning the new rules on Indian tourist visa: https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com/homepage
Here's another link from Netglobers.com regarding the easing of the two month wait for tourist visas.
http://www.netglobers.com/asia/indian-government-eases-tourist-visa-restrictions--35773.html
dear Beth,
ReplyDeleteIts good that you are in India and in chennai.
I have been in the USA and used to stay in Missoula MT for some time and i realised that food was a major problem there. so as i was in importing of fresh produce from usa i have started these fruits and vegetables from all over the world, plz see my fb page "fruitmarx" and see the pics. if you might be intrested plz drop in an email i will send you my entire list for you to choose from.
thank you
sathyan
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll have a look.
Elizabeth
Thank you very much for the article and, more importantly, the link. I read the original article in the print edition of the Times of India. I then saw it many times in Google searches, in news and in blogs. However, I never saw any official verification of it.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: Why is it not shown on the MHA website? http://mha.nic.in/pdfs/FAQ-Tvisa311209.pdf
My guess is that it will be updated soon. Perhaps it's just in the process?
ReplyDeleteI just updated my original post with two links from the Govt of India and the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, so it is official.
Hope that helps!
Hi, this would be good news for tourists. I passed by your blog and enjoy reading your posts. I lived in India a while ago. I nominated you for the Liebster Award. You can read about it on my blog.
ReplyDeleteAll the best.
Thanks for your grateful informations, am working in Tourism Portal ,
ReplyDeleteso it will be a better information’s for me. Try to post best informations like this always.
I advise readers to print this post and those of the government websites listed therein.
ReplyDeleteOn 21 Jan (about 1.5 months after the change took effect), I went to the Silk Airways (the regional carrier for Singapore Airlines) Check-In Counter at the Mactan (Cebu) International Airport to return to India. I waited a very long time. I was eventually informed that because I was on a tourist visa I could not normally return to India within 2 months after leaving. (Although they were in the process of getting special permission.) I then provided a print-out of the Press Information Bureau link. It was then obvious that they were not informed of the change.
I assume that other airlines and other airports are also not aware of the change, and may make travelling difficult for you unless you provide the verification.
Sorry that you had such a hassle but your comment may save others the same frustrating experience. I just reposted your comment as one of my blog entries. Glad you made it back safely!!
ReplyDelete