Visa & travel restrictions related to COVID-19

17 Mar 2020 / India

In addition to the visa restrictions already in place, the following travel restriction shall come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 18, 2020:

  1. All passengers coming from European Union (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden), European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), Turkey and United Kingdom have been prohibited from entering India from any of the land/air/seaport ICPs. This restriction shall come into effect from 1200 hours GMT on March 18, 2020, and is a temporary measure.

The earlier visa restrictions, as mentioned below, shall also remain in force:

  1. All existing visas issued to national of any country except those issued to Diplomats, Official passport holders, those in UN / international organisations, those on employment, project visas and those who are operating aircrew of scheduled commercial airlines, and who had not yet entered India, stand suspended with effect from 1200 GMT on March 13, 2020 till April 15, 2020.
  2. Visas of all foreign nationals already in India remain valid.
  3. The validity of OCI card of foreigners presently in India shall remain.
  4. Visa free travel facility granted to OCI card holders who are not in India presently has been kept in abeyance till April 15, 2020…

Any foreign national (including OCI cardholder) who intends to travel to India for compelling reasons may contact the nearest Indian Mission for fresh visa.

International traffic through land borders will be restricted to designated Immigration Checkpoints…

(For information about operations in India, contact GAC India at [email protected])

Source: Indian Bureau of Immigration Notice dated 16 March 2020

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