OCI card-holders from US, UK, Germany and France can visit India

NEW DELHI: Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders from the US, UK, Germany and France, with whom India has signed ‘air bubble’ arrangements, will be allowed to visit the country, the home ministry announced on Friday.
Other foreigners from these countries have also been allowed to avail Indian visa facility for business, medical and employment purposes. According to a home ministry notification, Indian citizens have also been allowed to travel to these countries on any type of visa.
Other countries may be included under this scheme in future, the notification said.
The home ministry said it has further considered the need for relaxation of visa and travel restrictions for more categories of foreign nationals who want to travel to India and Indian nationals intending to visit other countries in the context of the ‘air bubble’ scheme.
It has been decided that OCI card holders holding passports of countries that may be included in such a scheme in the future will be permitted to enter India, the notification said. Indian missions of these countries will grant appropriate visa, provided papers of the applicants are in order and there is no adverse input about them.
It would be for the airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction for Indian nationals to enter the country concerned with the particular visa category before issue of tickets, the home ministry said.