India starts visa on arrival facility for South Korean nationals

NEW DELHI: South Korean nationals can now fly into India and obtain a visa on arrival since the home ministry recently approved South Korea as the only country other than Japan eligible for this facility. The visa on arrival conditions will be the same as Japan, allowing South Korean passport holders double entry for a period not exceeding 60 days for business, tourism, medical and conference purposes.

According to home ministry sources, the visa on arrival facility, extended with effect from October 1, 2018, can be availed at 6 designated airports in India — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Visa on arrival facility was first extended by India to Japanese nationals in March 2016. It can now be availed of by Japanese and now South Korean nationals who do not have residence or occupation in India and are of an assured financial standing. Visa on arrival is non-extendable and non-convertible.

According to an estimate, around 2 lakh Indian visas are issued to South Korean nationals every year, of which 80 per cent are for tourism purpose. On an average, 600 South Korean nationals arrive in Delhi daily, said a PTI report.

Though visa on arrival facility was earlier offered to citizens of 12 countries -- Cambodia, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Luxembourg, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea -- it was discontinued in November 2014 after the launch of e-Tourist Visa scheme. E-visa facility is now extended to 166 countries and e-visas form 40% of the total visas issued by India.

The fee for obtaining a visa on arrival is Rs 2,000. Japanese and South Korean nationals need to carry a duly-filled up visa on arrival application form and disembarkation card and approach the “visa counter” at any of the six designated airports in India. These documents are scrutinised by the immigration officer who, when satisfied with the eligibility of the applicant, stamps the application and directs the applicant to the immigration counter. After payment of fee, the biometrics and image of the applicant are captured. The immigration officer then stamps the passport and collects the disembarkation card.