India set to simplify visa forms
· India · The Hindu, LiveMint
India will simplify visa application forms by removing redundant fields and reducing them by approximately 70%, with changes expected to be implemented from next year, a senior government official stated. The reforms will apply across all 22 visa categories to align with global standards and address industry demands for pre-pandemic tourist footfall recovery. The Ministry of Tourism reported foreign tourist arrivals at 91.5 lakh in 2025, below the 1.093 crore recorded in 2019 before the COVID pandemic. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has convened meetings to liberalise visa requirements, including eliminating 'district' references and easing local address documentation for foreign tourists.
Why it matters
Foreign tourists and travel industry stakeholders will benefit from reduced form complexity and faster processing, potentially boosting India's tourism revenue and helping the sector reach pre-pandemic footfall targets.
Read the original report — The Hindu
Join us on Telegram
Breaking news the moment it lands. At 10,000 members we ship the Android app.