Due to the Coronavirus scare the Indian Government has put new restrictions on the visa which will affect the Indians travelling to and from India as many Indians including the Goans are living aboard in the countries that have come under the scanner of coronavirus epidemic. The government has stopped issuing new visas and due to this many Indians who want to return to India and Indian nationals who want to go abroad cannot do so. Besides this, there are foreigners who are present in India and the ones who want to come to India all are wondering what to do. According to the Indian government, there are different policies made for the different sections of the people, like tourists, OCI card Holders, diplomats, officials and international organisations. Here in this article, we will be providing you with the answers to all your questions.
The Topic – Indian Nationals Who Want to Return to India
What happens when they land in India? Do they get quarantined? The answer is YES, but only those who have visited China, Republic of Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain, France and Germany on or after Feb 15, 2020, will be quarantined for 14 days.
The second question is Is COVID-19 Negative Certificate mandatory for Indians? and the answer is YES, but only those who are coming from the Republic of Korea or Italy.
The next question is are those Indian travellers who are transiting through China, Republic of Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain, France and Germany be quarantined on arrival in India? and the answer is NO since the transit through the Airport is not considered to stay.
The Topic – The Indian Nationals who want to travel Abroad
What happens to the Indians who want to travel abroad? Whether they will be allowed to do so? The Indian government may not be stopping them to travel abroad but they are strongly advised to avoid non-essential travel to the Corona Virus affected countries. On their return to India from affected countries China, Republic of Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain, France and Germany they will be mandatorily quarantined.
The Topic – The Foreigners who are Presently in India
What happens to the foreigners who are present in India? Whether they can extend their Indian visas before expiry? and the answer is YES, they need to get in touch with their jurisdictional FRRO/FROs through e-FRRO (https://indianfrro.gov.in/frro/)
The next query is, whether they can go out of India and return back? and the answer is YES, they can go out of India. However, before April 15, 2020, they would require a fresh visa to enter India again.
The Topic – Foreigners who wants to come to India
What happens to the foreigners who want to come to India? Which visa categories are allowed to enter India? and the answer is, Those who hold Employment and Project visa, Diplomatic passport holders, Official passport holders, those in UN / International organisations. But the visas are not allowed to their dependents. Also the infants/children who hold foreign passports but parents are Indian are not allowed unless they get the fresh visa from Indian Mission/Post.
What about the passport holders of Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives? The Nepal and Bhutan nationals are allowed to enter India without a visa but Maldives nationals would require a visa.
The next query is, Are foreign nationals with RC/RP/Stay Visa allowed to enter? and the answer is Only those foreigners who have RC/RP/Stay Visa w.r.t Employment/Project Visas are eligible.
Is COVID-19 Negative Certificate mandatory? YES, Only for those foreigners who are travelling to India from/visited Italy or Republic of Korea. The foreigners can avail direct transit facility at Indian Airport. However, even in transit, medical screening is mandatory.
The most important question is Who is the competent authority to issue COVID-19 Negative Certificates in Italy and the Republic of Korea? The answer is, all the Hospitals/Labs recognised by Govt of Italy and the Republic of Korea respectively are eligible.
The Topic – OCI Card Holders
Are the OCI Card holders allowed to enter India? the answer is NO, they will have to get a fresh visa from Indian mission/post. The same is applicable to the infants/children who hold foreign passports with OCI cards but their parents are Indian. All the OCI Cardholders coming from/visited the Republic of Korea and Italy require COVID-19 Negative Certificates.
The Topic – Diplomats, Officials, UN International Organisations and Others
Are Diplomats, Official, UN/International Organisation passports holders allowed to enter India? The answer is YES but the dependent of the diplomats on the normal passport will not be allowed a visa to enter India. Besides this the Diplomats, Official, UN/International Organisation passports holders required to carry COVID-19 Negative Certificates if they arrive from Italy or the Republic of Korea.
Which International Organisations allowed? UN Bodies and other recognised international organisations are allowed to enter India.
Are the Foreign crew allowed on GD if they have visited China, Republic of Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain, France and Germany on or after Feb 15, 2020, in their personal capacity? The answer is NO.
We hope this helps a lot of people who are under the confusion about the entire visa process to India during the coronavirus scare.
The Source: Can India
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