India Starts Visa on Arrival for South Korean Nationals

India has begun granting South Koreans with visa-on-arrival. The main aim of this grant is to promote tourism between the two countries and to boost the arrival of business delegates.

Before October of 2018, Japan was the only country to have such an access in India, since March of 2016. In the past, India allowed visitors from 12 different countries with visa-on-arrival process. This includes Japan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Finland, Luxembourg and New Zealand. Later, due to the launch of e-tourist visa option, this visa-on-arrival option was discontinued since 2014 until 2016 (for Japan alone). Now, South Korea has become the second country to enjoy getting visa-on-arrival in Indian grounds. This process has been in effect since October 1st of 2018, according to an official from home ministry.

Entry Points

With effect of 01 Oct 2018, this facility is available only in six international airports of the land located at Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

This visa-on-arrival is not applicable for all kinds of travelers. Visit the official site of Ministry of Home Affairs to learn about eligibility, validity and others.

Also Read : How Many Types of Visa in India – A Complete Guide

Fee for Visa-On-Arrival

For visa-on-arrival, the applicant has to pay INR 2000 per head (with no regards to age) in Indian or foreign currency for receiving the visa. Source : https://boi.gov.in/visa-on-arrival.

Validity for Visa-On-Arrival

Similar to the process of visa for Japanese visitor, the citizens of South Korea can apply for double entry visa option for a period up to 60 days. This visa is provided for tourists visiting for tourism, medical purposes and business conferences only.

According to statistics, every year, around 2 lakhs visa are requested by South Korean citizens and among those, around 80% are tourists. Breaking the numbers down, around 600 South Koreans reach India every day, on an average.

Tourists of other countries can choose to apply visa through e-tourist visa and receive online visa within just 72 hours. This option is open for nationals from 166 countries in the globe. This e-visa is open for visitors who wish to enter India for business, tourism medical and conference purpose. It is said that around 40% of the total Indian visas applied is e-visa. It is believed that it would soon go beyond 50%. This clearly shows that the online visa is quite popular than the other options. Upon applying the e-visa, the applicant will receive the authorized visa through email, which will allow him to travel to India.

Also Read : 

India Travel Guide