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Somya Singh
Jaipur National University
INTRODUCTION
India is a country with respectable and influential relations with the neighboring countries. It always tries to maintain good terms and friendly behavior with them, which is one of the most important features for anyone’s foreign policy because this allows more trade, military exercises, and commendable interaction with each other, which in turn leads to the remarkable growth in the economy of the country which enables that country to settle its supremacy and clout on the other less developing country. India from time to time introduces such vital policies and initiates different programs to ensure its paramountcy over others. One of those policies is Visa – Free and Visa – on – Arrival policy.
Keywords: Visa – Free, Visa – on – Arrival, policy
VISA FREE POLICY
This policy focuses on providing visa-free travel in India. The only requirement is that the person carries a valid and original passport. This policy is limited to sharing geographical boundaries, cultural and historical ties, friendly relations, cooperation, and agreements.
This policy promotes cooperation, regional assistance, friendly ties, economic, social, and cultural collaboration, and eases travel between the nations. Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan enjoy unrestricted and indefinite visa-free entry to study and do business. The only requirements are that the person holds a valid passport and government-issued photo ID.
On the other hand, the citizens of Maldives enjoy 90 days of visa-free entry into India, provided they are not required to engage in business or educational purposes.
The other class who were allowed to entertain this policy were the OCI card holders, who were of Indian origin, Diplomats, Ambassadors, and official passport holders of various countries, including Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Brazil.
These policies allow more tourism, social visits, cultural exchanges, and interactions of brilliant minds and permit more foreign reserves in the country. The main objective of this policy is to provide ease and comfort to travelers visiting other nations for business, professional, or educational purposes.
There are certain challenges regarding the same. They are as follows:
· The policy is limited to specific countries, making it somewhat partial and biased towards other countries, making the relationship bitter.
· Ensuring that visa-free travelers adhere to the regulations is challenging, especially in monitoring long-term stays or unauthorized activities.
Visa-free agreements often depend on mutual arrangements, and India must consider whether partner countries provide similar privileges to Indian citizens.
VISA ON-ARRIVAL POLICY
Another policy is the Visa On-Arrival Policy which allows only citizens of certain limited countries to claim their visas at their destination point This means they are not required to have a visa before traveling to India but can claim it after reaching the destination in India. This policy seeks to improve bilateral ties with partner nations, encourage tourism, and make travel easier. India currently offers this facility to citizens of the following countries:
· Japan
· South Korea
· United Arab Emirates (UAE) (for select categories)
· Finland
· Luxembourg
· New Zealand
· Singapore
· Indonesia
· Vietnam
· Myanmar
· Cambodia
This policy only provides enjoyment for tourism and business purposes and not for long stays or research work as it is only applicable for a stay of 30 days. Travelers must have a valid passport, proof of onward or return travel, and evidence of sufficient funds to support their stay. A nominal fee is charged on arrival at the airport for claiming a visa. The VoA is issued at select international airports in India, including:
Delhi
Mumbai
Bengaluru
Chennai
Hyderabad
Kolkata
This policy presents several difficulties. Citizens of qualifying nations may be refused VoA due to security concerns or prior travel infractions. Those traveling for work or study must apply for the proper visa in advance, and the VoA is limited to certain uses. Unless specifically permitted by VoA regulations, travelers with dual citizenship or those lacking the required papers are not eligible for VoA.
FUTURE PROSPECTIVE
Both policies are a result of cultural ties, friendly relations, collaboration, cooperation, and diplomacy between the states that is beneficial for both the nation-states and also for the people of Indian origin. The only requirement is to strengthen the policies and to expand their scope of applicability. It will need to include more countries so that India can manage good terms with the other nations as well. Promoting tourism is also a key reason for strengthening the ambit and scope of the policies. However, this expansion should be based on different criteria, subjected to certain limitations and security reasons, and must consider in mind the advantages, infrastructure, and reciprocity.
Latin America, ASEAN, and Africa were also given the advantages of the policies as they were important potential powers, strategic partners, and sources of resources, and they had a good diplomatic tie with India. If more countries were allowed under this umbrella, there would be significant economic development and cultural, social, diplomatic, and friendly terms with these nations.
CONCLUSION
India has harmoniously balanced and given effect to both security and openness with its VoA and visa-free policy. By adopting innovation and technological development and removing obstacles and hurdles regarding getting Visas, India can strengthen its position as a top tourist destination, increase business and knowledge, and become more globally linked. These rules could eventually align India's visa system with global best practices, which would be advantageous for both travelers and the country. It will also ensure that India can influence its neighboring countries.
India's Visa-on-Arrival policy shows its efforts to promote tourism and expedite travel, despite its limited scope. Extending and integrating the strategy with modern technology could improve its popularity by promoting greater global engagement and communication.
Despite its narrow scope, India's Visa-on-Arrival policy demonstrates how it strives to put travel at the forefront and encourage tourism. The policy's appeal might be further increased by extending it and incorporating it with new technological innovations and scientific inventions, which would encourage increased cooperation, participation, and engagement at a global level. We can conclude that these are good initiatives by the government to promote tourism and friendly relations with other nations.
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