1 month ago
India Expands Visa Options for Passport Holders
The Indian government told Parliament that people with Indian passports can now travel to 27 countries without a visa, 47 countries if they get a visa when they arrive, and 66 countries if they apply online before they go.
They said there isn’t a single worldwide ranking for passports, so the numbers they give are the best they have.
The government keeps talking with other countries to make travel easier, using meetings and official visits.
They also added new security features to passports to meet international rules.
The plan is to keep adding more visa‑free and visa‑on‑arrival options in the next five years.
Indian passport holders can travel visa‑free to 27 countries, visa‑on‑arrival in 47, and e‑visa in 66.
The government says no universal passport ranking exists; private rankings are not standard.
Visa arrangements depend on bilateral relations and reciprocity; India engages in regular dialogue to improve travel ease.
India has updated passport security features to meet ICAO guidelines.
Parliament was informed that India will continue to expand visa‑free and visa‑on‑arrival options over the next five years.
- Who
- Indian government and MPs Manish Tewari, Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan
- What
- Update on visa-free, visa‑on‑arrival, and e‑visa access for Indian passport holders
- Where
- Parliament, India
- When
- Friday, 2024
- Why
- To improve ease of travel and address concerns over passport mobility
Key facts
- Visa-free countries
- 27
- Visa-on-arrival countries
- 47
- e-Visa countries
- 66
- Engagement method
- Consular Dialogues, Official and High-Level visits
- Security standard
- ICAO guidelines
Quotes
Indian government spokesperson
Official representing the Indian Ministry of External Affairs
“"Keeping that in mind, Government of India engages in regular dialogue with foreign countries on visa policies intended to improve ease of travel for Indian citizens, including visa‑free travel opportunities, mobility and travel facilitation, visa overstay concerns, passport security and immigration procedures."”
indianexpress.com
“"Government is aware of some such ratings which are published by certain private institutions based on parameters unilaterally decided by them. In the absence of universally acceptable criteria to rank passports, there is no ranking system for passports at global level that can be taken as a standard."”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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